Kidist Kifle, wife of Zambian music star Yo Maps, has denied any prior acquaintance with social media content creator Elias Musyani, stating in court that she does not even have his number saved in her phone.
Testifying before Lusaka Magistrate Mutinta Mwenya, the 26-year-old socialite revealed that she only came to know Musyani due to the ongoing legal case. She dismissed any claims of a previous relationship with him, explaining that she obtained his contact from a mutual friend solely to discuss a post he had made on Facebook.
In this case, Musyani is facing two counts of harassment using electronic communication, in violation of Section 69 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021. Prosecutors allege that on April 8, 2024, Musyani used his Facebook page to post messages intended to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause emotional distress to Kidist.
Kidist told the court that Musyani’s post contained disturbing threats, including an intention to rape her, as he wrote, “I will doda you.” She also claimed that the accused had threatened to assault her husband and abduct their three-year-old daughter.
“Up to today, the words uttered by Elias Musyani still terrify me, especially since he continues smiling in the dock,” she testified.
She explained that following the post, she had to withdraw her daughter from school out of fear for her safety. Additionally, she stopped attending the gym, worried that Musyani who allegedly knew her location might harm her.
Recounting the events leading to the post, Kidist stated that on April 7, 2024, she went to Grand Daddies with friends, where pictures and videos of the outing circulated online. The next day, she woke up to a Facebook post by Musyani, which she described as inappropriate and suggestive.
“In the post, he implied that when I fell on the couch, a man would grab my thighs and buttocks. He then tagged my husband, questioning whether he was in an open marriage. He also suggested that if he were in my husband’s position, he would physically confront the people I was with,” she testified.
Concerned about the post, Kidist said she sought legal counsel and later reached out to Musyani to discuss the matter.
“I didn’t have his number, so I got it from a mutual friend. I called Elias, and we had a productive conversation where he apologized for his post,” she explained.
However, on April 12, 2024, Kidist said she received WhatsApp messages from Musyani, accusing her of sending lawyers to threaten and insult him. He later sent her a voice recording of a conversation he had at a law firm.
Between April 12 and 16, Kidist said she received a screenshot of another post from Musyani’s Facebook page, which contained further threats.
“He claimed to know where I live and threatened to send thugs to rape me in front of my husband. He also said he would abduct my daughter, referring to her as ‘gumu gumu,’ and that he knew the gym I attended and my daughter’s school. He even mentioned that we had no security and that he could have thugs carry out his threats even if he went to prison,” she said.
She added that between April 12 and 18, Musyani’s mother contacted her, seeking an amicable resolution to the matter.
“His mother called me and asked that we resolve the case peacefully. I agreed, and we met at Pamodzi Hotel, where Elias Musyani later joined us. It was during this meeting that he was arrested,” she told the court.
During cross-examination, Musyani’s lawyer, Douglas Njolomba, questioned Kidist about how she obtained the accused’s number, to which she reaffirmed that she got it from a mutual friend.
When asked whether a man had poured beer into her mouth during the outing at Grand Daddies, she admitted to it. “Wasn’t Musyani’s post based on the events shown in the video?” the lawyer asked. “I don’t know,” she responded.
Kidist further clarified that the men she was drinking with were gay and that she is not gay herself. When asked again about the audio recording where she supposedly confirmed that her drinking companions were gay, she stated, “I can’t recall.”
The trial is set to continue on February 19, 2025.