Police dismiss viral Nkowankowa ‘home prison’ story as fake

Ritavi Police confirm a viral post about a Nkowankowa woman running a “home prison” is fake news, with no arrests or records supporting the claim.

December 10, 2025

Tintswalo Shipalana Less than a minute

The fake news post circulating on social media.

TZANEEN – Ritavi Police Station says a Facebook post about a Nkowankowa woman who reportedly opened her own prison at home is fake news.

Spokesperson of Ritavi Police Station, Sergeant Sholly Mathebula, said they have no records of arresting such a person.

The fake post said that the 54-year-old woman was a tavern owner and would arrest men who caused violence and those beating up women when drunk. It further said she had detained 36 people for drinking without paying her.

While some may feel that she seemed to be standing up against gender-based violence, the post is purely fictional.

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

December 10, 2025

Tintswalo Shipalana Less than a minute

Emelda Tintswalo Shipalana

Tintswalo Shipalana, a journalist for the Letaba Herald, has been in the media industry for over a decade. She started her journey in radio, but ended up in print which is her first love. She joined the Herald newspaper as a cadet in 2016, where she graduated with a journalism qualification from the Caxton Training Academy. She also has a qualification in Feature Writing from the University of Cape Town and a Media Management qualification from Wits University. She is completing her BA Communication Science degree with UNISA. She sleeps well at night knowing she is a voice to the voiceless and her work contributes to promoting local talent, businesses and service delivery. Her love for her community keeps her working hard every day.