The police are investigating these fake accounts so I want to make it clear that any person who shares these posts or makes comments on social media will be part of the police investigation,’

This is what a postgraduate student at the NWU had to say after she was accused online for having an affair with a high-ranking official within the municipality. An allegation that she has vehemently denied.

According to Dineo Malope (24), she has been falsely accused and harassed since September last year.

She reached out to the Herald after opening a case of harassment to publicly clear her name. The profiles used to make these allegations against Dineo seem to be fake.
‘This really has to stop; it is getting too much.
These allegations were posted in the ‘I grew up in Ikageng’ Facebook group, which has more than 13 000 members.
According to Malope, she doesn’t know why she is being targeted as she is not even originally from Potchefstroom.
‘I’m not at war with anyone, especially anyone in Ikageng,’ she said.
Although not sure, she believes the attack may be politically motivated. According to her, she is being used to damage the official’s reputation.
‘This is defamation. If these allegations are true, why don’t these witnesses come forward instead of hiding behind fake Facebook profiles?’ she said.
According to the official, he has not seen the allegations that were made on social media but he has heard about them.
‘I haven’t spoken to her and I haven’t seen the Facebook posts. I can’t respond to something that is fake news,’ he said when asked for comment.