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A Harare woman is currently facing cyberbullying charges after appearing before the Harare Magistrates’ Court.
Beauty Tembeni (29) was brought before the court on Monday for allegedly sending psychologically harmful content via Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp to Lovelyn Zigora, the wife of her alleged boyfriend, Tawanda Zigora.
She has been charged under section 164C of the constitution.
According to section 164C, anyone who unlawfully and intentionally uses a computer or information system to disseminate false data about a specific person, with the knowledge that it may cause psychological or economic harm, is committing a criminal offense. The offender may face a fine not exceeding level 10, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
In 2023, Tembeni allegedly sent messages to Zigora claiming she was pregnant with her husband, Ronald Tawanda Zigora.
It is reported that Tembeni was expecting to marry Tawanda early in the year, and all preparations for the wedding were made. However, Tawanda did not show up on the wedding day, which upset Tembeni. She then expressed her disappointment on social media, posting a video of herself kissing Tawanda and tagging his daughter, who had recently gotten married. This prompted Lovelyn Zigora to report the situation to the authorities.
Zigora stated, “It was a stressful period for me, which led me to seek legal assistance to avoid direct contact. Counseling has been challenging, especially for my daughter. We have attempted counseling with the accused in hopes of a positive change, but unfortunately, she persisted with the harassment.”
Tembeni denied the accusations, claiming that she too has been a victim of cyberbullying and has lost her job as a result.
“The pictures were tagged at my workplace with love texts, which I screenshot. I sought advice from a colleague on how to handle it, either by reporting the account for deletion or reporting to the police.”
“I was fired, and I urge the court to resolve the case promptly so that I can resume work since I have found a new job,” she added.
The case has been postponed to March 20 at 2.15 pm.
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