Tokoloshi social media hoax

MUTARE has been awash with pictures of a strange creature believed to be a goblin that was said to have been unearthed at prominent Mutare transport mogul Isau Mupfumi's home only to be proved that it was social media hoax.

So viral was the Whatsapp posting that people from as far as South Africa were making inquiries from this publication whether the story was real or not.

So many versions were brought up, with some people claiming that Mupfumi had paid handsomely those who unearthed the strange creature to buy their silence.

However, investigations by The Weekender revealed that the same creature was used in a story that allegedly happened in Bulawayo's Nketa Seven high-density suburb in which it was reported that a family from that area had dumped its tenant's goblin at Tshabalala Police Station, sending cops fleeing in different directions.

The story was published in the media on January 26, 2014 under the headline: ‘‘Cops Flee ‘Suitcase' Goblin'' and was awash on the social media.

In the story, it was alleged that a traditional healer who had come with the family opened the suitcase and a weird-looking creature jumped out of the bottle that was filled with blood.

The story also quoted Bulawayo deputy police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Bhekimpilo Ndlovu confirming the incident.

This week Mupfumi came out guns blazing and said people should not abuse the social media to tarnish other people's images.

"I was also taken aback by the rumours. In short, I was shocked by this mischief on the part of the people behind the rumour. I am a devoted Christian and I am not into goblins. It is sad that for every successful deed, there are always people who are determined to bring you down.

"Facebook and WhatsApp are very modern ways of communicating and there is nothing wrong when people use such platforms to communicate. But it becomes sad when these platforms are used to tarnish the image of someone and spread falsehoods."

He also pointed an accusing finger on his political enemies whom he said were working to plot his downfall by coming up with so many creations and stories.

"These are election gimmicks by hopeless losers and this will not deter us from working with the progressive people. This is just the work of haters and I will not lose focus because of this," he said.