IN January last year, we issued a warning that there was something terribly wrong about the events at MG Promotions, which recruits models, and its owner Maxwell Gissi.
Our concern was raised after romantic pictures of Gissi with different models and artists, which appeared to suggest some love stories were being written, emerged.
We reported that some of the models were accusing Gissi of using his power to sexually abuse them.
We were shown a WhatsApp group in which these claims were being made by these models.
We contacted Gissi and he dismissed the allegations.
“Our WhatsApp group is awash with accusations that I am abusing women,” he told us.
“These women are old enough to stand up for themselves, but the accusers are after my trip with models slated at the end of this month to Uganda.
“They raised the same accusations last year in October when I wanted to host a modelling show in Harare.
“It is true that I posed for some photographs with various girls with the purpose of showing those I work with.
“The photographs were not taken at lodges or hotels, but in my office.”
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He added:
“What they do not know is that there are some high-profile people in these WhatsApp groups, who later come to my inbox.
“In fact, I am just fronting a business owned by high-profile people.
“Ngavasarwadziwa neni uye nema photos andakatorwa nevana vakanaka. I never abused any of them as alleged.”
We even issued a warning on our editorial page a day after our initial report.
“Maxwell Gissi of MG Promotions has been recruiting models and bedding musicians and they bare now accusing him of abusing them,” read our editorial.
“Some claimed that he asks for s*xual favours for him to enable them to have a breakthrough in the industry.
“There seems to be a worrying trend of music and arts promoters preying on young vulnerable women seeking to make names for themselves in the entertainment and modelling world.
“The shameless breed of s*x predators pretends to be genuine benefactors ready to help young ladies expose their latent to the world only to violate them.”
This week, Gissi was arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old actress, whom she had recruited to work as his Personal Assistant.
Her claims to the police mirror the claims by other models, which led us to question the activities at MG Promotions last year.
The actress linked up with Gissi on his social media platforms where he was advertising the post of a Personal Assistant at his firm.
Gissi sent the actress a private message where he introduced himself as the owner of MG Promotions.
He told the actress that he wanted her to work with him as his Personal Assistant.
He even introduced himself to the actress’ mother.
Within a week of her working at Gissi’s office, he started making s*xual advances and would hug her without her consent.
In the third week, Gissi told her that she was supposed to work late and at around 8pm, the actress decided to leave but her boss drew her back, fondled her breasts and r*ped her. She disclosed the r*pe to one of the female workmates who told her that she was also a victim.
The actress then decided to quit work and reported the abuse.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the case.
“Police are investigating a r*pe case involving an employer and his female employee.
“The complainant reported the she was r*ped twice on different occasions in the office of the accused person,” said Insp Chakanza.
H-METRO
