Secret WhatsApp channel at Sobukhazi High forces pupils home as school tightens safeguarding

Sobukhazi High pupils were sent home after a secret WhatsApp group shared explicit content, cyberbullying and risky party plans, prompting safeguarding action and calls for stronger digital supervision (image source)

A group of pupils at Sobukhazi High School in Bulawayo have been temporarily sent home after school authorities uncovered a secret WhatsApp channel allegedly used to share explicit material, cyberbullying content and invitations to risky informal gatherings known locally as Vuzu Parties. The channel, which circulated under the name “2k Dopest Nation,” has been shut down, but its contents have provoked alarm among parents, teachers and community leaders.

School sources say the group was created and administered by learners, all minors. Screenshots circulating among parents reportedly show offensive jokes, targeted mockery of classmates, online shaming and posts glorifying alcohol and drug use. Polls in the group allegedly asked members to rank classmates as the “hottest” boy, “prettiest” girl or most talked-about couple — actions that left some pupils humiliated and emotionally distressed. While no sexual acts have been reported or proven, school authorities judged the discussions and encouragement of risky gatherings to be dangerous and inappropriate for minors.

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Several parents and guardians told the school that many implicated learners live in households where parents are abroad, leaving children in the care of elderly relatives or guardians. “Most of these kids stay alone or with grandparents. Phones are their parents,” said a source familiar with the matter. School officials say this dynamic has complicated supervision and contributed to the spread of harmful online behaviour.

When administrators discovered the WhatsApp channel, they summoned implicated learners and their guardians for disciplinary hearings. According to multiple accounts, the process was disrupted when some pupils allegedly presented false guardians — local individuals purportedly paid to pose as parents. School staff became suspicious when some of the adults could not provide basic information about the children they claimed to represent. Once the deception was uncovered, the school excused the learners from attending classes temporarily while the matter was escalated to their officially registered parents or guardians.

The temporary exclusion has left several pupils at home and triggered anxiety among caregivers who fear for the children’s academic progress. “We are waiting for 14 February. We don’t know what will happen,” said one guardian who asked not to be named. “I’m worried because I cannot afford to move my grandchild to another school.” Another parent appealed for a balanced approach, saying, “It is painful to see a child sitting at home. I hope they are allowed back.”

Sobukhazi High headmaster Cain Ncube declined to comment. A school official speaking on condition of anonymity said the learners were not expelled or formally suspended but were excused as a corrective measure. “Our role is to guide and mould children. When they go off course, we must redirect them. We will never chase a child away from school,” the official said, adding that parental responsibility is central to preventing recurrence.

The episode has prompted calls for stronger digital-safety education, clearer school policies on phone use, and community engagement to support guardianship where parents live abroad. According to the 2022 census, nearly 909,000 Zimbabweans live in the diaspora — a reality that continues to shape supervision and discipline for children left behind. At Sobukhazi, the 2k Dopest Nation saga is a reminder of the thin line between teenage mischief and conduct that can cause lasting harm, and of the urgent need for coordinated responses from schools, families and social services.