Khakhati Tshisikule is alive and well …

Date: 02 March 2007 By: Wilson Dzebu

False rumors spread like wildfire that well-known local reggae sensation Khakhathi Tshisikule (33) of Zwi Mandlozini fame was dead. This came after he was involved in a car accident at the weekend.

The rumors were so serious that it had to be broadcast on national radio that Khakhathi was in fact still alive.

"It also came as a shock to me that there were people spreading the false news that I was dead. I only suffered some minor injuries to my ribs and I spent only two hours in hospital. I cannot understand why people spread those baseless rumors about me because I am alive and kicking."

Khakhathi said he was in the back passenger seat of his white Uno when his driver lost control in the early hours of Saturday morning. "I just heard a big banging sound and I realized that there was danger. Within some few moments, there were people around my car who offered to provide some assistance. Coincidentally, there was a hearse that also came and stopped at the scene of the accident. I think that is why people thought that I was dead because they saw a hearse at the scene of the accident. Furthermore, my phone broke at the scene and was no longer functioning. When people called me and realized that I was not available, they started speculating that I was dead. I was surprised to learn that many people, especially close relatives, have visited my house to express condolences about my death."

Khakhathi says he hopes that he will be ready for his normal musical duties in a week’s time. "I am only recovering at home, but I promise my fans that I will bounce back next week. The injuries are not so serious that they endanger my music career."

Mashudu ‘Buru’ Dama (18), who was driving the Uno when the accident happened, suffered some chest and neck injuries. He was discharged from Tshilidzini Hospital on Monday afternoon. He was still in shock when he explained what happened: "We were traveling on the Shayandima – Thohoyandou road in the wee hours of Saturday morning and I only remember that an oncoming vehicle torched me with its bright lights and I could not see the road clearly. The next moment, I was off the road and my car collided with another car. I cannot recall what happened next until I found myself in the hospital bed."

Fellow reggae artist and Khakhathi’s friend Shufflers Ragimana was also shocked about the news of his counterpart’s ‘death’. "I also heard the rumors and tried to call Khakhathi on his cell phone, but he was not available. That made me more uncomfortable and I was relieved when I heard on the radio that my friend was still alive. I only became more convinced that he was alive when I visited him and touched him. He cannot die now, because we still need his creativity in the music circles."

Viewed: 9825

Wilson Dzebu

More photos...