Social Media Personality Remanded in Custody on Cyberbullying Charges

Harare, Zimbabwe – A prominent social media figure, Pattricia Jack, found herself back in court yesterday, facing new allegations of cyberbullying and harassment, barely a month after a conviction for disorderly conduct. Her repeated appearances before the Harare Magistrates’ Court are drawing increasing attention.

Jack, 35, is accused of unlawfully disseminating messages and videos across various social media platforms, allegedly targeting two women in separate incidents. Prosecutors contend that her actions were intended to intimidate, harass, bully, and inflict substantial emotional distress upon the complainants.

In one of the cases, the State alleges that Jack posted content on Facebook and TikTok, falsely claiming that a complainant, identified as Mai TT, was a prostitute and a thief. She further allegedly asserted a past romantic relationship with Mai TT’s husband and later made disparaging remarks about Mai TT’s daughters.

The second case involves accusations that Jack sent WhatsApp messages and published social media content alleging another woman was engaged in extramarital affairs and was HIV positive, undergoing antiretroviral treatment.

These fresh charges fall under the Cyber and Data Protection Act. Jack has been remanded in custody, with bail proceedings scheduled for tomorrow.

This marks a notable pattern for Jack, who in April was convicted of disorderly conduct at Highlands Police Station. During that incident, she was reported to have insulted officers, threatened to leverage her connections to have them dismissed, and accused them of bribery. She pleaded guilty to the charge before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai and was fined US$150, with an alternative of 30 days’ imprisonment if she defaulted on payment. Magistrate Kuhudzai, while condemning her behaviour, acknowledged mitigating factors, stating, “Such kind of conduct cannot be tolerated in our jurisdiction. Court took into consideration that she was a first-time offender and a single mother.”

In her mitigation then, Jack, a self-identified social influencer, informed the court that she is a divorced mother of an 11-year-old and expressed remorse, pledging not to re-offend. The State, represented by Emma Habeza of ZRP Highlands, presented that Jack’s disruptive behaviour at the police station occurred following the arrest of a friend, where she used vulgar language, name-dropped government officials, and vowed to ensure the officers’ dismissal, thereby tarnishing the station’s image and disrupting police operations.