South African police probe Zulu singer's claims he rose from the dead

The South African music scene has been rocked by the claim that a Zulu singer has returned from the dead. Police are investigating a man who says he is Khulekani Mgqumeni "Kwakhe" Khumalo, one of the best known figures in traditional maskandi music, who died in December 2009. "It really is him," Khumalo's grandmother, Zintombi Mseleku, said. Mseleku is one of several relatives – including the singer's daughter and two common-law wives – who insist the man who appeared on 29 January is the person they laid to rest two years ago, at a funeral attended by many local politicians and journalists.



"There is no way I can get confused over Kwakhe," Mseleku said. "He is looking a little worn, and his cheeks are less chubby, but it's him." Officials are less convinced. The purported Khumalo was arrested on Monday and questioned by police. They have taken fingerprints and DNA samples; test results are due later this week. If the man's DNA matches the material on file, officials are expected to exhume the musician's body. Otherwise, he may be charged with fraud.

Before his arrest, the man claiming to be Khumalo addressed thousands of fans who flooded to his home in Nquthu, KwaZulu-Natal. "I have always been alive," he told the crowd, saying he had been held captive by zombies for the past two years. "The people who captured me shaved my dreadlocks because they wanted to put a nail in my head." They were apparently preparing a ritual to transform him into a tokoloshe, or water spirit. While the "resurrected" musician refused to play any music, he asked his fans to be patient. "I promise to continue singing once I gather enough strength," he said.


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Before his death in late 2009, 27-year-old Khumalo, also known as Khulekani Mseleku, was one of the leading voices in traditional Zulu song. He released five solo albums, including 2008's Magic, which sold more than 78,000 copies. "He died too soon," said Weziwe Thusi, provincial culture minister. "He had shown great talent and contributed immensely towards developing and promoting maskandi music."