Homosexuality is regarded as beyond the pale in Zimbabwe and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In 1995, President Mugabe had famously described homosexuals as "worse than pigs and dogs" and urged Zimbabweans to turn them over to the police. Banana's arrest contributed to growing public disillusionment with the regime, since rumours of Banana's sexual profligacy had been rife in the capital for many years and it was generally assumed that Mugabe must have known, but had done nothing to stop it.