Mudzimai Akaroorwa Okanda Sikarudzi paWhatsApp Group Rine VanyarikaniWengezi village head in Mutare, Manicaland province, has fined a 45-year-old married woman, Joyline Mwatinza, US$10 for inadvertently sharing her nude photo on her WhatsApp status.
The image rapidly spread across local WhatsApp groups, sparking widespread controversy.
Mwatinza claimed that the private snapshot was taken after an “ant bite in a sensitive area” and was never intended for public viewing.
The incident led to Mwatinza being summoned to village head Mukono’s community court, where she was fined US$10 for “shaming the community.”
It was alleged that the image might have been meant for her lover, a Trip Transport bus driver only identified as Chinoz, whom she had been expecting to pass through Wengezi on the fateful day.
Mwatinza insisted in an interview that the picture was not meant for anyone, let alone the alleged Trip Trans driver that she is accused of having an illicit affair with.
“Honestly, I felt something crawling and biting me down there while vending. It was sharp, like an ant or insect. I panicked, rushed to the toilet and took a photo using my phone’s selfie camera to locate the bite. The pain was real, and the spot was swollen. The graphic photo accidentally ended up on my WhatsApp status instead of my gallery.
“The post was up for 30 minutes before I deleted it. Unfortunately, that was long enough for my fellow vendors to download and circulate it. It was an honest mistake. I didn’t send it to anyone and never meant for anyone to see it. The rumours about sending it to a lover, specifically Chinoz, are false. I don’t even know him,” she said.
Mwatinza claimed that fellow vendors were behind the embarrassment, arguing they were the ones who had viewed the WhatsApp status before she removed it.
Despite her denial, rumours about an alleged affair with the bus driver continue to circulate.
The bus driver plies the Mutare–Kurwaisimba route.
“I want the vendors arrested. I need help. They are the ones who made this go viral. I can’t even walk around freely anymore without people pointing fingers. They are calling me names, laughing behind my back,” she said, on the verge of tears.
When contacted, Chinoz denied the allegations, arguing that he did not know Mwatinza.
“I talk to many people at Wengezi, and I don’t know this Mwatinza. I am not having an affair with any woman, and if she claims I am, then she is lying,” he said.
Village head Mukono was less forgiving.
“Mwatinza disrespected herself, her husband, and our tradition. She may have meant the photo for her boyfriend, but what matters is that the whole village saw it. She is a grown up woman, a granny for that matter. What example
is she setting?” he exclaimed.
Village head Mukono said the fine was solely for the nude status post, not for alleged infidelity, as Mwatinza’s husband, Gift Chiororo, had not lodged a formal complaint.
“She has always looked down on her husband because she is the breadwinner. He does the housework and fetches water, while she is a vendor at the business centre. That photo was just the latest shame she brought to this village,” he said.
Chiororo has remained quiet throughout the saga, according to villagers.
The couple has been married for 23 years and has three adult children, two of whom are married with children of their own.
Some locals are sceptical of Mwatinza’s “ant bite excuse”, calling it a creative cover-up.
“That is a first,” said Catherine Zvenyika, a neighbour.
“Next time, she should fight the ants in private. If it was really an ant bite, then that insect has done more damage than a whole scandal,” she said.
Zvenyika alleged the photo was
intended for Chinoz, who had told Mwatinza he would be passing through, and expected “a teaser” before meeting her in person. “Everyone knows they have been seeing each other. He asked her to send his ‘goods,’ and she delivered. It is a shame she is now blaming some of the vendors for circulating the image, when many people saw her WhatsApp status,” she said.
-Manica Post
