A middle-aged man from Majengo in Tunduma, Songwe region in Tanzania is recuperating in hospital after his manhood was chopped off by the husband of a woman he was allegedly seeing secretly.
The victim, identified only as Sebastian, was confronted in his house by the woman’s husband and two other men, who meted out the cruel attack on him.
The key suspect is said to be a Zambian, who hails from the country’s Chihanga Village in Nakonde region.
Neighbours say on March 15, they saw the woman in question entering Sebastian’s house at 3pm.
“She stayed in there for long. Moments later, I saw three men aggressively knocking on Sebastian’s door before claiming they had busted him in the act with the wife of one of them,” Sebastian’s neighbour, Esther Mlungu, told Tanzania’s Uwazi newspaper.
“The men then chopped off Sebastian’s genitals and, thereafter, escaped,” said Ms Mlungu.
Sources told Uwazi that Sebastian often bought charcoal from the woman.
On March 15, however, Sebastian bought charcoal on credit from the said-woman, and asked her to go collect the money he owed her at his house, said the informants.
“Why did he not pay for the charcoal at the stall? Why did he tell someone else’s wife to go collect money at his home? Why did the woman get into Sebastian’s house instead of waiting he passes the money to her while she was outside the house?” posed some of the neighbours.
According to the informants, the said-woman “took too long in Sebastian’s house”, prompting some neighbours to snitch on her to her husband.
The sources say, when the woman’s husband and his accomplices arrived at Sebastian’s house and found her, they asked Sebastian to choose a punishment he’d want meted out on him.
“Sebastian embarked on pleading with them to forgive him. The men grew impatient and severed his manhood from his body,” said the informant.
Sebastian remained quiet until the perpetrators left his house, when he burst out screaming.
Chuki Kibaya, a Tunduma resident, says she and other neighbours found Sebastian crying as he clutched his groin, which was oozing blood. The victim, thereafter, informed his neighbours what had transpired.
Sebastian’s brother, Lackson Mwazembe, said he arrived at the victim’s house and took him to Tunduma police post where they filed a report, and thereafter rushed him to Tunduma Hospital.
Majengo B area CEO, Rashid Enock, confirmed the incident, saying: “I saw him [Sebastian] in deep pain”.
Majengo B area chairperson, Kajambo Mwapanja, says police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, whose identities remain unknown.
Momba area security chief, Juma Irando, assured Sebastian’s family that everything possible was being done to arrest the suspects.
Dar es Salaam-based medical doctor, Richard Marise, says Sebastian’s penis could only be reattached if he was taken to hospital in record time after the incident.
“If he arrived in hospital few minutes after the incident, there’s a great possibility his penis would be reattached. However, his manhood won’t operate normally as it used to,” said Dr. Marise.