A South African man who claims to be a famous Zulu folk singer returned from the dead after being held captive by zombies for the past two years has been detained on suspicion of fraud.
The unnamed man turned up last week saying he was the award-winning musician Khulekani "Mgqumeni"Khumalo, who died in 2009. He reportedly convinced several members of Khumalo's family - including two of his wives, his grandmother and grandfather, who unveiled the man as his long-lost relative on Monday.
The public appearance drew thousands of fans to the singer's rural family home in the northern KwaZulu-Natal province, where the man used a loudspeaker to announce his "resurrection", according to the South African newspaper, the Times.
"I am Mgqumeni. And I know that some of you might not believe, but yes, it's true - it is me," the man told his audience. He said he had been a victim of witchcraft and that the zombies had forced him to sing and eat mud during his ordeal. He claimed to have woken in a field in Johannesburg last week before finally making his way home.
"I have been suffering a lot at the place where I was kept with zombies. It was hell there and I am so grateful that I was able to free myself and return to my family and you, my supporters," he said. Police reportedly resorted to using water cannon in an attempt to contain the crowds vying to catch a glimpse of the man.
Faith in witchcraft is common in rural South Africa. However, some fans said they doubted the story because the man did not have Khumalo's trademark dreadlock hairstyle, had lost a lot of weight and now had a gold tooth.
Authorities were not convinced and arrested the man yesterday. As police waited for DNA results, a police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker, said fingerprint samples had proven the man's claims to be false. The suspect was due to appear before Nquthu magistrates' court.
Khumalo's former girlfriend, Zehlise Xulu, who has a son by the singer, said she resented the man dragging up past heartache.
