The businessman, who is a ruby, cricket and soccer enthusiast, yesterday strongly refuted the allegations saying they were peddled by his detractors who were jealous of his success.

“I am not a homosexual and I am certainly not preying on vulnerable boys. The boys I live with are homeless, I am just putting a shelter over their heads. I don’t think it’s illegal to house homeless boys. You can go ahead and publish that story, to me its nothing but a joke.

If you want to drag my name into the mud, go ahead. I cannot keep on answering your questions that is just speculation. It’s none of your business what I do in my private life. Nonetheless I find that interesting. But I can assure you that I am going to respond to that story through the law,” he said.

The alleged homosexual scandal came to light when a Nokia E75 cellphone belonging to a Bulawayo cricket administrator went missing at a changing room recently at Queens Sports Club. The phone was later recovered from a cricket player who claimed that he bought it from a colleague who has since gone back to university in South Africa.

Messages with sexual connotations that left nothing to imagination supposedly sent by the white businessman at the centre of the scandal were later found in the phone.

“The guys for the movie are here they want to know if you are a first time virgin or not. If you are, you have to come for practice,” read one of the messages by the businessman to the young cricket player.

The other message on the phone indicated that the “the other boys have gone to the gym, it is the best time for me to see you.
Sources said the affected young man was in financial dire straits and approached the businessman who suggested that he would solve his distressed financial situation by making him take part in a gay pornographic movie, which was presumably to be shot by foreigners.

That incident seems to have opened a can of worms as more stories of the businessman’s alleged homosexual activities started gushing out from Bulawayo residents.

Sources said some people then let the cat out of the bag that the businessman — who is not married resides with young men at his house in Malindela up-market suburb who come from impoverished homes . . . An umpire (name withheld) is also reported to have dumped his wife and left his matrimonial home to stay with the businessman.

Neighbours reported that suspicious activities occur at the man’s house and said they always suspected that he “is into men”.
“We have never seen him with a woman; the only female who comes to his house is a maid who comes to wash clothes and to clean the house. His car is always full of young men.

We are not saying its wrong and we are not being racist but it is suspicious for a white man to live with many black men,” said a neighbour speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sources also disclosed that the businessman was once a teacher but left under a cloud. Because of his interest in soccer, ruby and cricket he visits unsuspecting schools in the city where he dupes boys that he will facilitate for them to join big teams. He also promises to take his victims to up-market schools.

“Once you are hooked up with him he does not want you to play around with ladies. He says they will give you HIV. This married guy he is now staying with used to take groceries home to his wife but has now stopped. He was possibly stopped and is currently a sex slave,” said a source.

The man is occasionally seen in the western suburbs of Bulawayo where his car is always spotted full of boys. He cheats parents of some of the boys that he wants them to stay with him so that they can go to the gym ahead of training in their area of specialisation.

“I know of many boys that have gone through his hands. If he is such a philanthropist why is he not helping girls with school fees and accommodation? Parents and schools should just be careful,” a source, who claim to have known him for several years, said.

One of the businessman’s victims reportedly developed suicidal tendencies after being sodomised by him, which is reportedly one of the conditions for staying at his house. Sources added that the businessman’s mobile phone is loaded with pictures of young men.

The cricket administrator confirmed that a cellphone was stolen and recovered but professed ignorance about the text messages laced with homosexual connotations.