You must be joking...!

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Baleseng Batlotleng

Location : GABORONE

Event : Feature

 

It is even more worrisome to imagine a loved one dead. So people shun any discussion about death, as if the subject would bring the very fiend creeping into very houses to take them away forever. Only the odd, morbid type ever discuss death. Might this be the lot that is given to terrorising folks with tales of death?

For some reason these fellows want you to believe your favourite celebrity is dead, when that is not the case. With easy access to the internet, especially Facebook, these nutcases have gone more bonkers as they are able to send their hoaxes to thousands of people. Some of these lies land on the ears of family or they read them on Facebook. You could ask Frank Lesokwane aka Franco.

The Gabane born muso was returning from a trip in South Africa and had just crossed at the  Pioneer border Gate when his very worried sister, Nancy, called and told him that they had been frantically trying to reach him on his mobile phone to confirm if indeed he was dead.

So taken aback by the news was Franco that he drove straight home to at least assure his family that it was not his ghost they were talking to on the phone. Soon his phone was ringing non-stop as freinds and fans wanted to know if he was indeed dead. He would later composed a song, Bantatola ke tshela [ they say I am dead ], in which he discredits the yarn . It became an instant hit.

 The lyrics to the first verse go somewhat like this: le fa go ntse gotwe metshameko e mefuta/ke gana wa maloba/nna ke ne keile Gauteng/bangwe ba ntatola ke tshela,” [ what game is this? I don`t like it/ I went to Gauteng ( Johannesburg) recently and some said I was dead.

The prankstar was not done - if it is the same person. Not long ago, he or she came up with another lie that music promoter, Gilbert Seagile, popularly known as PP in the showbiz industry  was dead. Seagile had to cut short his business trip to Zambia to attend to the allegations that he was no more. He first heard rumours about his untimely death from a Facebook friend but took it lightly as he had more serious business to attend to.

His trip was prolonged due to logistics of transporting goods at the Kazungula pontoon as they had to ferry the truck they were using across the Chobe River. This resulted in his trip prolonged for about two weeks while news back home were flying thick and fast about his death and some were already writing his obituary as a popular music promoter and a loving friend. When he arrived in Botswana his mobile phone was flooded with calls that he has never received before. Some had called his immediate family members to confirm funeral arrangements and memorial service.

Artistes Odirile Vee Sento, Mponang “Gongmaster” Ketshabile, Magdeline Charma-Gal Mogwe, Moses “Shumba Ratshega” Malapela, amongst others have all been victims of a fake death rumour. Vee had gone to perform in Selibe Phikwe when a Toyota Hilux Fortuner overturned along the Serule/Selibi Phikwe road killing its passengers instantly. He was previously seen travelling in a similar model prior to the accident and news flew thick and fast that he was amongst the victims from that accident. The allegations held strong and the misinformation gave people more reasons to push the rumor further.

Charma-Gal shocked people when she appeared on stage with her group, Culture Speares, at an invitational festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. People had heard about news of her death and according to Seagile, who had travelled with the group that day, people were shocked to see her on stage. An sms circulated one festive season that croaky voiced traditional music artist, Gongsmaster, had finally met his creator.

These claims have also crossed the border and have become an international phenomenon. American professional wrestler and actor, John Cena, is the latest death hoax to hit Twitter. News spread that the heavily built Cena died while filming a movie in New Zealand last September. Reports came in that he fell more than 60feet to his death on the Kauri Cliffs while on set.

Canadian funny man, Jim Carrey, was on the radar of death rumours when he was reported to have crushed his head in Switzerland after a snowboarding cruise. In December 2011, another reputable Hollywood actor, Morgan Freeman`s death hoax spread online. The rumour gained so much strength that a cable news channel, CNN, was forced to issue a statement denying that they had anything to do with the story.

According to an expert in human behavior, Dr Mary Onyewadume, most death hoaxes, which are deliberately perpetuated by pranksters spread because some people think they can benefit in the process. Some people think it is just a genuine mistake of having close identity and similarity to someone who could have possibly passed on during that time.

The opposite of death rumour is a death denial rumour. In this case people tend to deny the fact that someone they know very well could have passed on. A very popular example would be that of American hip hop legend, Amaru Tupac Shakur, who was murdered in cold blood on his way home from a night club. The internet has literally thousands of web pages and message boards dedicated to mysteries and conspiracy theories surrounding the rapper`s death. The rumour was also compounded by the rappers` posthumous works which pointed to his works.

Lately another pop legend, Whitney Houston`s death, was denied after previous speculations about her health as a result of drugs and alcohol related issues. ENDS

Teaser:

Death is not a subject very much loved by people. Like the fiend it is, it is associated with loss, grief and pain. It is a spooky thing to imagine yourself dead...