Namcourt's unverified gossip leaves victims shattered

At least one person has reportedly attempted suicide, and five have sought urgent counselling, after an anonymous Namibian Instagram gossip page publicly named 20 people as alleged sex workers, with the fallout tearing through homes and workplaces, and some victims' children reportedly bullied at school.The identity of the people behind the Instagram account Namcourt, which has 113 000 followers, remains unknown.Namcourt posted photographs of the individuals a week ago in a post captioned "food chain", alleging they were involved in prostitution.The account has not responded to requests for comment, and nothing suggests those named were contacted or given a chance to respond before the damaging claims were published.The post remained online as of Thursday. By Monday, after Namibian Sun first reported on the fallout, it had been removed.Of the people named in the posts, at least five, including two women and three men, have sought counselling since last week, according to cybersecurity expert and counsellor Iipinge Shaanika.One of them is Maria Edward (21), who said the accusations have left her anxious, humiliated and struggling to concentrate on her work and studies.Edward, who wanted to speak openly about her experience, said the allegations against her were untrue and that the vital spread of the posts left her feeling trapped by something she could not control."When I first became aware that I had been posted and allegedly identified as a prostitute on social media, I was completely shocked and hurt," she said. "It was extremely upsetting to see people making such serious and damaging allegations about me, especially when I knew they were not true,” she told Namibian Sun.The impact intensified as screenshots of the posts and comments began going viral.“Some of the comments felt very personal and cruel, and receiving screenshots of them repeatedly made the situation even harder because it felt like I could not escape what people were saying about me,” she said. “I have had to explain myself and deal with the fear that someone might believe what was being said without knowing the truth,” she said.“As someone who is also active on social media and depends on my reputation professionally, I am particularly concerned about how these allegations could affect people’s perception of me and future opportunities,” she added.She said people featured in viral posts should not be reduced to what appears on a screen. "There is a real human being behind the account, with feelings, family, relationships, work, studies and a future that can be affected by what is posted," she said.No ‘ordinary’ gossipShaanika, the founder and counsellor at the Monica Gender Equality, Human Rights and Social Justice community organisation, said the consequences of the unverified claims have come at a great personal cost for those involved, including their children, some of whom have faced bullying at school.“One of the victims even almost took her life last week,” Shaanika told Namibian Sun over the weekend. “There is chaos at home," he said. Shaanika confirmed that at least five of the victims have reached out to his organisation for support.He said the incidents should not be dismissed as ordinary online gossip. "It moves far beyond 'social media drama' when a person's dignity, privacy, safety and psychological wellbeing are deliberately attacked," he said, adding that the consequences also follow victims offline.“I would like Namcourt, social-media users and other young people to understand that publicly exposing, humiliating or making serious allegations about someone online is not harmless entertainment,” Shaanika said.“Social media should not become a place where someone’s dignity is taken away simply because they are visible online.”He added: “We can hold people accountable without destroying them, and we should never forget that behind every post is a real person whose life continues long after the post has been shared.”Shaanika warned that the problem becomes harder to contain once information goes viral."The fact that thousands of people can view, comment on or share such content means that the humiliation can continue long after the original post was published," he said.Adding fuel to the fireShaanika urged those named in the accusations to preserve evidence and to seek support rather than facing the situation alone.He also asked those who encounter humiliating or defamatory material not to amplify it by sharing or reposting it. "Sharing such material can increase the harm to the victim and give the abusive content an even wider audience," he said.Edward said she has reported the posts to the social media platform and kept screenshots and records of the posts, comments and messages connected to the allegations."Sharing an allegation does not make it true," she warned. "Before posting, reposting or commenting on someone's personal life, people should consider whether they have verified the information and whether they would be comfortable with the same things being said about them publicly."Shaanika also called for a stronger response by relevant authorities to cyberbullying, online harassment, impersonation, defamation and the circulation of private or sexually humiliating material, saying law enforcement agencies and social media platforms need to cooperate more effectively, alongside greater public education on responsible social media use and digital safety.The information and communication technology ministry had not responded to questions sent by the time of publication.When contacted for comment, the police said they could not comment, as none of the victims had reported the case to the police yet.desmarius@nma.com.na

Namcourt's unverified gossip leaves victims shattered

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-25

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Namcourt's unverified gossip leaves victims shattered

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-25

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