DID STEVEN MONJEZA HIRE HIS NEW BRIDE?

There have been reports that Steven Monjeza, one half of the gay Malawi couple, hired a woman to pretend to be his new partner and fiancée.

“When Nyasa Times tried to find out about Monjeza’s new sweet heart, it was discovered that she is a prostitute (hooker) who stays in a one roomed apartment behind one of the bars in Chirimba,” claimed the Malawian newspaper.

Monjeza’s family – who rejected his relationship with Tiwonge Chimbalanga – also told the Nyasa Times that they had never met the woman, said to be Dorothy Gulo, a 24 year woman from Blantyre.

The newspaper also said that Monjeza has been so drunk since his release from prison that he was unable to accept a cash gift from a local businessman who offered to reward him for ending his relationship with Chimbalanga.

The report has given credence to claims by gay activists that Monjeza split from Chimbalanga to avoid further repercussions stemming from their relationship.

The two men were jailed in December last year after getting engaged in public ceremony. They were sentenced to 14 years in prison but were pardoned by the country’s president following intervention by the United Nations.

Last week Monjeza shocked reporters when he announced that he had left Chimbalanga and was planning to marry Gulo instead.

Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights group Outrage! said at the time: “The pressure has got to Steven. Very understandably, he wants a quiet, safe life. This would not be possible if he remained with Tiwonge. They would both be at risk of violent attack.”