Acclaimed Singer Targeted by Death Hoax, Lashes out at Scammers

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the South African singer and humanitarian, shut down rumors that she died and [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the South African singer and humanitarian, shut down rumors that she died and called out the scammers who tried to cash in on the fake rumor. Chaka Chaka, 56, is an internationally renowned performer and has been one of South Africa's best-known singers for almost 30 years. Back on April 19, Chaka Chaka told her fans that a scam artist was trying to raise money for her "burial."

"Some FOOL posted my Obituary and even asked people to contribute in a go fund me acc. For my burial," Chaka Chaka wrote on Twitter, including a screenshot of a fake obituary. "How mean can you be." In another message, Chaka Chaka wrote that her fans need to track down this "devil."

"So to the Devil I am alive and kicking I am going nowhere.thank you all for the love and support. Don't fund Evil he asked for some go fund," she wrote. One fan suggested she report the scam. "I am busy with it my child," she replied.

When Chaka Chaka first saw the headline, she laughed, the singer told TshiaLIVE. "I laughed at it! A friend of mine in LA, sent me an e-mail with the link, and the following day I saw it on my Google alert, so I laughed about it because I know there's mean people out there," she said. Her friend asked her if she was sick, but Chaka Chaka calmed her friend down and told her she is "perfectly fine."

Chaka Chaka was surprised to see the headline thought Google and criticized the web giant for not fact-checking it. "My family didn't see it, I just told my husband about it and we laughed about it," she said. "Things like these don't actually affect me. In fact, this is not the first one. There was a time where there was a post saying 'Yvonne is dead'. It's just mean people, people who idle and don't have much to do and just find happiness in making other people sad. But I'm not sad because they are the sad ones, they are the mean ones and the bad ones. I'm gonna die in God's time, not when they want me to."

Chaka Chaka is nicknamed the "Princess of Africa" due to her popularity. One of her biggest hits is "Umqombothi," which was featured in the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda. She is a member of several charity groups and was the first African woman to receive the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award. She also worked as a United Nationals Goodwill Ambassador and received the BET Awards' Global Power Award.

The singer was at the center of controversy in January when she shared a message about the coronavirus vaccines. "Vaccine, Vaccine. We still don't have one for Malaria non for HIV, but in a few months we have one for Covid can someone tell me how possible is this @WHO @EU_Partnerships @UN @NEPAD_Agency @PresidencyZA @Davos @unwomenafrica," she wrote at the time, notes IOL. Many of her fans expressed disappointment and noted how the coronavirus is very different from HIV and malaria.

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