Vusumuzi Dube
B-Metro Reporter
SOCIAL media detectives were convinced they had cracked the case. For days, the online streets were ablaze after a disturbing video surfaced showing a woman brutally assaulting a young girl whose hands and legs were tied.
The beating was so vile that even B-Metro cannot repost the video to shield followers from trauma. Netizens immediately concluded that the attacker was a wicked stepmother straight out of a horror movie.
But the real story has stunned the nation.
Police have revealed that the woman behind the savage beating is actually the biological mother of the child, blowing apart the theories and insults that had dominated X,
Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
In a statement released on Saturday, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi announced the arrest of Idah Mushayi (27), the woman seen in the viral clip. She is the mother of the victim, an 11-year-old girl from Village 28, Mount Zonzwe under Chief Marange, Odzi.
The assault, which sent shockwaves across the country, reportedly happened on 13 November. The mother allegedly tied up her daughter and thrashed her over a missing US$11.
As the video circulated, social media users launched a wild guessing parade. Some labelled the woman “a jealous stepmom punishing a child that isn’t hers.” Others claimed it was “one of those evil second wives.” Influencers fanned the flames with dramatic threads, calling for the arrest of “the heartless stepmother.”
All that outrage took a sharp twist when police confirmed the woman was not a stepmother at all.
In the official update, Comm Nyathi said: “Following investigations, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested the suspect, Idah Mushayi (27), who is the biological mother of the child.”
He was appaled at the cruelty captured in the clip.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police condemns all forms of violence against children,” Comm Nyathi said. “We urge parents and guardians to correct and guide their children in a responsible and non-violent manner.”
The revelation has triggered a second wave of shock online, with many users confessing they misjudged the situation. Some said the truth was “even worse than the rumours.”
As Mushayi faces justice, the nation is in shock from a story where the script flipped dramatically, proving that social media assumptions can be dangerously misleading.
No synonyms found.
Online Reporter