marble nkomo
B-Metro Reporter
“I was standing just a few metres away when it happened. A young man wearing a black woollen hat approached an airtime vendor, scratched a prepaid card and shook his head. Ayisebenzi, he said casually.
“The vendor frowned. Voices rose. Hands moved fast. In seconds, the vendor and his friend had grabbed the boy by the collar, dragging him closer as onlookers gasped. Phones came out. Someone shouted. It looked ugly, real, and about to explode. Then the boy laughed. ‘Lapha ehamba khona manengi amaWhiphii!’”
Just like that, the tension cracked. Cameras were revealed. The vendor froze, then realised what had happened. What looked like a street scuffle was content. The boy being manhandled wasn’t a random troublemaker, it was Vuyo Whiphii, one of Zimbabwe’s fastest-rising Tiktok pranksters, caught mid-performance in a stunt that would later rack up views and comments across the country.
At just 20, Vuyo Ndlovu, better known online as “Whiphii, Whiphi,” or simply “that boy wow,” has turned everyday moments into viral laughter. Bulawayo-born and sharp with township humour, he’s building a name in Zimbabwe’s crowded digital space by doing what many only talk about: making people laugh with what they recognise.
“I motivate myself every day,” Vuyo says. “One day I was scrolling on Tiktok and most of the videos were boring. That’s when I decided, why not make my own?”
That decision came while he was doing A-level. Today, he’s a student at Great Zimbabwe University, juggling lectures, assignments and a growing social media brand that refuses to be ignored. “It’s not easy,” he admits. “Sometimes I have assignments due and at the same time I’m trying to film content. It’s stressful, but I try to manage my time.”
The hustle is paying off. Vuyo has built an audience of about 34 000 followers on Tiktok, drawn to his streetwise style, pranks, fun interviews and raw humour pulled straight from daily life. His catchphrases stick. His scenarios feel familiar. And his face is now recognised in places where content creators were once just names on screens.
Pranks are his favourite weapon of choice, though he’s learned the hard way that they come with risks. “I was once beaten during a prank,” he says, laughing now. “That taught me to plan better.” The airtime vendor incident is one of those lessons. He scratched a card without paying, claimed it didn’t work, and pushed the act just far enough to feel real. Too real. The confrontation turned physical before he revealed the prank, apologised and settled things calmly.
“Most of my pranks are staged,” he explains. “People should just enjoy the content and relax. Safety is important.”
Criticism comes with the territory, but Vuyo shrugs it off. “I ignore criticism. If you don’t like what I’m doing, just scroll.” His focus stays on the audience that laughs, shares and keeps him going.
And yes, the laughs now come with money. Vuyo earns from advertising, working with corporates and individuals who want to take advantage of the vast audiences on his page. “This is helping me live,” he says. “It’s not yet his main income, but it’s proof that content can translate into cash if the crowd is watching.”
He also runs a joint account with his girlfriend, giving fans a peek into his personal life without losing the humour. “I wouldn’t consider my content controversial,” he says. “It’s just fun.”
Still figuring things out, Vuyo approaches the grind like a professional, planning, consistency and engagement at the centre. His rise mirrors a wider movement of young Zimbabweans carving careers from social media, but what sets him apart is authenticity. His content feels lived-in, pulled from kombis, corners and conversations everyone knows.
“I started making videos just to pass time,” he says. “Now I see, anyone can do this. You don’t need expensive equipment. Just creativity and persistence.”
From being grabbed over airtime to grabbing attention nationwide, Whiphii is turning chaos into comedy and clicks into a future.
Online Reporter