“I don’t deny your accusations, but I don’t remember” – Mphande
Renowned social media influencer Pemphero Mphande has been accused by a young woman of taking advantage of her in 2021 when she was 18. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has also made further accusations regarding a 17-year-old girl victim. Pemphero Mphande has neither refuted nor confirmed the allegations, stating that he does not remember sleeping with the young woman when she was 18.
The accusations began following remarks made by Mr Mphande that some social media commentators have described as sexist. Known by others as the ‘Andrew Tate of Malawi’ Mr Mphande advised men against marrying women who have had multiple sexual partners. Tate is widely regarded as a misogynist.
“As a man, don’t date or marry a woman who is accessible and has a high body count. A woman who has slept with more than 10 men will easily open her legs for one of those men while dating or married to you. She is very accessible. Make smart choices!”
In response to these comments, the young woman, who goes by a pseudonym online, alleged that Mphande was one of her three sexual partners.
“Unfortunately, I don’t remember you,” he said in response to her tweet. When the young woman responded that he might not remember her because he met many women at the time, he replied that he was not denying her claims but simply could not recall the two have a sexual encounter.
“Koditu sindikukana. Ndikuti ndaiwala. Nkutheka zinachitikadi zochimwazo!” (Translation: “I am not denying. I am saying I have forgotten. It’s possible that this actually happened!”), Mr Mphande wrote.
In the screenshots shared by the woman, Mphande appeared keen to know if she was a virgin. She alleged that the social media influencer took advantage of her and other young girls, labelling him a “sex predator.”
“Yes, I should be ashamed because an older social media influencer took advantage of me and several other women! But the predator should be comfortable,” she wrote.
On a Twitter Space, the woman reiterated that the social media influencer takes advantage of young girls. She stated that her decision to come forward with her story was to protect future victims. She was defended by many other women, saying just being the age of consent does not mean she could not be manipulated and coerced.
Nohata, Founder & CTO PayChangu and ChanguFood commenting on the issue, said it was okay that the young woman deleted the posts because “anamvana” despite the woman claiming to have been threanted into deleting her screenshots.
Another PayChangu senior officer, Joshua Mwendo, stated on X (formerly Twitter) that there is nothing wrong with an older man pursuing a relationship with an 18-year-old, as she is of legal age to consent.
“An 18-year-old is responsible enough to decide what she wants to do. She can easily say no as an adult too. Also, the man has his preferences, and I don’t think we can fault anyone for their preferences as long as it’s within the law… What’s wrong with the guy’s preference for an 18-year-old?” said Mwendo, the Chief Operations Officer at PayChangu. Mwendo also serves as the Special Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule.
“The same way women can have preferences for older, more experienced, rich men is the same way men can have preferences for younger adult women,” he tweeted.
This is despite her insisting that she was manipulated and taken advantage of by the influencer. The woman also insinuated that she was not the only victim, suggesting there were multiple instances of similar behaviour. However, following a wave of cyberbullying, she has since deleted the screenshots she had shared.
“Random girl, yes, but not a hoe. I was 18, and him being narcissistic, he manipulated me” she claimed.
While the woman shared some evidence, aside from Mr Mphande’s own admission, it was not conclusive. Malawi24 could not independently verify her claims except the fact that Mphande said he does not remember and could therefore not deny nor accept her accusations. This article is based on allegations made by the involved parties. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
