By Lorraine Muwuya
South Africa-based Zimbabwean actor, Jerome Galiao, has been acquitted of domestic violence charges by the Randburg Court.
The charges emanated from a dispute between Galiao and his then girlfriend Gugulethu “Nerissa” Mema during which an exchange of words grew heated.
The altercation resulted in Galiao’s arrest, pending a court appearance and bail was subsequently granted.
On 17 April 2023 the complainant, Nerissa withdrew all charges without any duress.
The arrest resulted in Jerome losing income, with employment contracts in Zimbabwe and South Africa being put on hold.
Galiao rose to fame on South African screens as etv Scandal’s first Shona-speaking character, Dr. Nyasha Mugari. Following the arrest and in order to protect its standing, etv pre-emptively suspended filming of Galiao’s scenes.
Prior to Galiao receiving bail, Nerissa, took to the soap stars Facebook account, for which she was admin, to address his fanbase and tell her ‘side of the story’.
Reports of Galiao’s arrest were widely covered by social media outlets throughout Africa.
Galiao has uniformly accepted responsibility for the role he played in the unhealthy relationship with Nerissa.
“Do not become a statistic of domestic violence. It is never easy to talk about especially when you are the one being abused, especially with men. My circumstances were not one-sided, we got annoyed with each other. I was not good to her and vice versa and that is how we got here.”
Despite the obvious reputational damage, Galiao emphasises the psychological effects the tumultuous relationship has had on him. “I went into depression, got diagnosed with anxiety PTSD and I was not okay.”
The Me-Too Movement re-conscientised society on the skewed power-dynamics at play in the field of entertainment and the dangers they present for women.
However, Depp vs Heard showed the flipside and what can happen when a man in the public eye is at the receiving end of weaponised relational intimacy. Currently Jonathan Majors of Creed III fame is also trending for domestic violence allegations brought by a slew of ex-girlfriends.
In what is anything but an open and shut case, lawyers for Majors claim NYPD has sufficient evidence to prove the Marvel actor was the victim and not the assailant in the recently reported event. What remains apparent is the importance gender relations continue to have both in public and private spaces.
Speaking from his home in Harare where he has returned to regroup after the ordeal, Galiao spoke candidly to couples: “If you need counselling, do it in the early stages not when it’s too late. And if that does not work, walk away.”
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