Some family members of the late South African Afro pop sensation, Zahara, believe that poison might have been poured in her drink during her lobola ceremony which took place two days before she fell ill and was rushed to a hospital in Johannesburg.
Zahara, real name Bulelwa Mkutukana, passed away on Monday night, after spending the last few weeks at a private health facility in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s sports, arts and culture minister, Zizi Kodwa, announced her death, saying:
“My deepest condolences to the Mkutukana family and the South African music industry. Government has been with the family for some time now. Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact in South African music.”
While condolences continue to pour in, some family members believe Zahara might have been the victim of foul play.
“What is surprising is that when Zahara celebrated her 36th birthday on November 9, she was as strong as an ox. She didn’t show of signs of being sick,” one family member reportedly told Zimoja.
The family member said they believed that a disgruntled relative might have been behind the suspected poisoning.
“The lobola negotiations went well during the visit by the Xaba delegation. The family representing the Mkutukanas was happy that Zahara would finally get married to someone she loves dearly. But someone interfered with the whole process by bewitching her,” the source says.
“A relative must have gotten pissed off when they heard that the Xaba family were coming back to pay the outstanding amount of lobola. We suspect that Zahara was either poisoned or muthi was put into her drink,” the family member said.
Meanwhile, Zahara’s family has finally officially broken its silence about her death.
“It’s very sad to us as a family to have lost one of our beloved daughters,” said family spokesperson Nkosiyami Mkutukana.
“Besides being someone who was popularly known, to us, she was a family member, a humble person, an ordinary child to us. We would love to express our appreciation to the staff members of the hospital who took care of her when she was ill.
“We appreciate what they did, they did their best to avoid what has happened, and we appreciate their efforts. We are now confirming that the girl is no more and we are grieving the loss.
“The family is very sad to have lost one of their beloved daughters. We would also love to be given an opportunity as a family to sit and discuss the next steps.”