Ssekamwa was arrested on August 2 outside a lodge in Masvingo, a city located 292 kilometres south of Harare, along with Czech tourist Lucas Slavik.

The arrests occurred during a government crackdown on dissent ahead of a regional summit, leading to over 200 opposition and civil society activists being detained.

Ssekamwa faced charges of criminal nuisance and violating the Censorship Act after police found a rubber male organ in his bag. However, magistrate Isaac Chikura acquitted him, ruling that the possession of the sex toy did not compromise public order or cause any nuisance. The magistrate noted that the sex toy was in Ssekamwa’s personal bag and there was no intention to display it in public.

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The Zimbabwean government claimed the detentions were necessary, citing intelligence reports suggesting planned protests to disrupt the summit. Christopher Mutsvangwa, spokesperson for the ruling Zanu PF party, stated that those detained were “deviants” who were dealt with appropriately, expressing satisfaction that no protests took place.

Critics of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power following a military coup in 2017, accuse him of being more authoritarian than his predecessor, Robert Mugabe.