Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Online Reporter
THE administrators of the WhatsApp groups, “Byo Men Exposed” and “Byo Women and Men Exposed” which have been causing havoc in Bulawayo in the past few days have been unmasked.
The groups were dedicated to sharing pictures and information about individuals suspected of engaging in extramarital affairs.
There were three initial administrators for “Bulawayo Men Exposed” with the user name Byo Men Exposed, who created the group on Tuesday at 10.26AM using a South African phone number, the other —Mss Pryde using a USA phone number, and — Slay with Kia using a Zimbabwean number.
It has since emerged that Mss Pryde, is Pride Mpofu, an actress who started her career in Bulawayo before relocating to Harare. She has acted in productions such as Mr Perfect, Cook Off, Mhosva, Not so fast, Wenera, Kuchina and Vhunze.
Mpofu has also featured in music videos which include Ngaibake by Freeman featuring Sungura musician Alick Macheso, Murder by Jah Prayzah, Ndipe Moyo, Let Me Fall (both by Tytan) and New Bae by Mr Kata.
She is reportedly now based in the United States where she is employed in the cruise ship industry.
The other administrator is Kiacy Chigudu going by the name Kia, was a whistle girl in 2020 at Smokehouse in Bulawayo.
Chigudu was imitating the #Impembe dance, which was made viral by a South African woman who blew a whistle while following closely to the sound of an Amapiano track. The local eatery even posted her video and captioned it “Usisi wempembe”.
The third administrator using a WhatsApp Business application going by the name BYO MEN EXPOSED and their name is Past Johan when checked using True Caller.
In the “Byo Women and Men Exposed”, the group admins are — Chubby Nigga, Gudo, and — R all using Zimbabwe phone numbers, and Mandla Mpofu using a South African number. The user name R created the group as a response to BYO WOMEN AND MEN EXPOSED at 2.24 PM on Tuesday.
Richard Katoma created the group and runs Puzzle Moments Photography and is known among his circles as Ricky.
Chigudu told the Chronicle yesterday that she would comply with the police if they summoned her.
She claimed that she wasn’t part of the creators of the controversial WhatsApp group.
“Like others who joined via a link and I don’t know who created it. I was made admin later to add people who were asking for the link. I also forwarded the link to other groups,” said Chigudu.
“There is an option as you can’t just join the group, you request, so the admin has to approve for you to join the group. So she made an admin with another girl using a USA number. I never posted any pictures.”
Contacted for comment, Mpofu said: “The administrators did not do anything and they should not be blamed for anything. When the group started it was their girlfriends and their wives who were posting pictures of their men.”
While Chigudu and the anonymous South African number have since left the BYO MEN EXPOSED, Mpofu continues to be the admin and post pictures of different men.
She is working with one UNAH-LERTATO who uses a Zimbabwean number.
Kamota who created BYO WOMEN AND MEN said he did so after failing to join BYO MEN EXPOSED.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube on Wednesday warned the administrators of the WhatsApp groups, saying they faced arrest for cyberbullying.
The Cyber Security and Data Protection Act (Chapter 11:22) of 2019. Section 164B of the Act states that any person who unlawfully and intentionally uses a computer or information system generates and sends data messages to another person, or posts any material on any electronic medium accessible by any person, to intimidate, harass, threaten, bully, or cause substantial emotional distress or humiliate someone or to encourage a person to harm himself or herself, shall be guilty of an offence.
Online Reporter