Online ReporterMbulelo Mpofu
BULAWAYO has a new predator, and he doesn’t need a mask or a gun. He hides behind WiFi signals, smooth talk, and stolen Instagram pictures. His name is Tatenda “Ghost” Ncube.
To some, he’s “Walker.” To others, he’s the dream guy they met online. But to a growing number of angry residents, he’s the nightmare who vanished with their money, their trust, and in some cases, their reputations.
Tatenda’s weapon of choice is a smartphone. His favourite hunting grounds? TikTok, WhatsApp, and Facebook, where he weaves elaborate lies about wealth, influence, and a mysterious best friend named “Leslie.”
This Leslie, however, does not exist!
The scheme starts simple: Tatenda paints himself as a flashy young tycoon with mines, luxury cars, farms, and houses. His social media is a gallery of fake glamour — stolen Pinterest breakfasts, stock photos of sprawling farms, and TikTok clips lifted from influencers abroad.
Then comes the bait.
“I met Tatenda in 2022 when no one knew him,” said one woman who asked not to be named. “I introduced him to people and that was my mistake. Suddenly he was everywhere, dating multiple girls, showing off like he had money.
“He introduced me to his so-called best friend, Leslie. We only spoke on the phone. Never saw him, never met him. It was always the same story — money was coming from Leslie, but every time we needed it, Leslie’s phone was off.
“The last straw was when rumours spread that I was pregnant with Leslie’s child. How could that be when I’d never even seen him? That’s when I realised the whole thing was a scam,” she said, fighting back tears.
From then on, Tatenda allegedly turned to outright theft, convincing women to lend him small amounts of cash with promises to repay “tomorrow.” Tomorrow never came.
Primrose, another victim, explained how she fell into his trap.
“He DMed me on TikTok and told me I was pretty,” she said. “We started talking on WhatsApp and later on iMessage. He claimed he was into mining and farming and used WhatsApp ‘only for business.’
“One night around 9pm, he said he needed $20 urgently to send to someone in Marula.
He promised to return it the next morning.
Then came another request for $20, then $25 for food. In total, he owes me $65.”
Tatenda didn’t stop at women. Dylan, a former gaming shop owner, lost $900 after Tatenda allegedly tricked him out of three PlayStation consoles.
“I was closing my shop at Haddon and Sly. He said he’d take three consoles and pay at month-end,” Dylan said. “We had a gentleman’s agreement, no paperwork. When I asked for payment, he switched phone numbers and said Leslie was handling it.
“When I reported him to the police, we went to his ‘house’ in Lobengula only to find he was just a tenant. He’d vanished.”
With complaints mounting, Tatenda has gone underground. He deleted his Instagram account and flipped his TikTok name to “@ebucnadnetat” — his name spelled backwards — in a bid to stay ahead of his victims and the police. B-Metro called all known numbers linked to Tatenda, but they were either switched off or blocked.
For now, the city remains on edge as the “Ghost” continues to haunt Bulawayo’s streets and timelines.
At the moment, it is not known how many have fallen prey to Tatenda’s wily charm but it is suspected the number could easily top dozens. He is bold, merciless and shameless.
It is believed many victims are silent, fearing public ridicule for falling for a “social media phantom” while others may be getting scammed as this article is being written.
Authorities have urged anyone scammed by Tatenda Ncube to report to the nearest police station. Until then, beware of smooth talkers sliding into your DMs — they might just vanish with your cash.
