Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Police in Bulawayo have advised women who are involved in romantic relationships with men but are in the habit of flirting or worse, with other men to delete their WhatsApp chats from their phones before they get home to avoid being beaten up or killed by their partners.
Police say a majority of reported gender-based violence cases emanate from intercepted social media messages – particularly on WhatsApp.
Addressing residents over a loud hailer as female police officers marched through Bulawayo CBD on Wednesday to mark 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, ZRP spokesperson in Bulawayo Province, Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, said:
Women, if you have side deals, if you’ve some miscellaneous that you’re doing on the phone just delete before you get home.
We know you’ve rights to your phone and you’ve protection under the law but when you get home and you’re now two, and you’re being asked who Jack is, you already have conflict.
Our view as police is that prevention is better than cure. You’ll come to the police to report, but already you have been assaulted, or worse.
Recently, a 32-year-old man from Old Pumula suburb in Bulawayo was ordered to pay a ZWL$18 000 fine or spend three months in prison for assaulting his wife after she refused to give him her phone password.
The man, Nkosilathi Ngwenya, assaulted his wife, Samukeliso Ncube (28), on 26 October after she refused to give him her phone password.
Ngwenya suspected that his wife was cheating on him.
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