"I am not dead, I am alive" - Prifix

The hoax on social media announcing the death of talented VenRap artist Prifix, aka Tendani Mathaga, has shocked thousands of his fans.

“I just want to set the record straight: I am not dead, I am alive,” Prifix said on Monday. “People should focus on the positive side of life and stop posting nonsense on social media, trying to taint the image of other people.”

The 21-year-old singer had switched off his mobile phone when he was attending a lecture last Thursday afternoon. Unbeknownst to him some unidentified person(s) hacked theFacebook account of his manager, Raymond Mulalo Tshivhidzo (well-known as Lavhutanu Li Do Swika), and posted a status on Prifix's wall, announcing the young singer’s death.

The world immediately resonated with the loss of a short-lived, gone-too-soon talent. Fans from all over believed that Prifix was dead.

“This was awful,” said Tshivhidzo. “I had left my phone while I attended to some duties, but when I returned I found around 40 missed calls. People wanted to find out how this young talent had exited this world.”

He then opened his Facebook account and found over 180 messages in his inbox. “They were all curious, shocked and expressing words of condolences,” he said. “It was disturbing. This thing had really put my relationship with Prifix to the test.”

Prifix told Limpopo Mirror that he was shocked the moment he switched on his phone. “Voice messages had filled up my inbox; everyone wanted to confirm that I was really dead,” he said. “It was everywhere on social media and even in the streets everyone was speaking about my death. 'Prifix is dead!' I was both terrified and horrified.”

He said that his parents were very disturbed by the rumours about his death. “We had to sit down with his parents, because they were hurt,” said Tshivhidzo.

Fans of the artist were clearly relieved when hearing that the rumours are not true. “Rikhou livhuwa mudzimu … (We thank God that you are still alive). Why bad things happen to good people mah vhanna,” said Fulufhelo Mukhuba.

Another Facebook fan, Tshifhiwa Lenin Rambau Lenin, said: “Prifix ndi sole ahuna ane a nga mu wisa. A si vhathu vhothe vho no tama Prifix a tshi tshila. Vha litsheni vha ambe zwine vha funa nga Prifix. Tshivenda tshi ri thini li si na tshithu li a rasa nga maanda. (Prifix is a soldier and nobody can bring him down. Not everyone wants to see Prifix alive. Let them say whatever they want about Prifix. The Tshivenda idiom says that an empty vessel makes a loud noise.)”

However, it seemed that the death hoax had also boosted Prifix’s fan base. Azwie V. Mbedzi, on Facebook, said: “Fame though … I didn't know you but now I do. Thanks to your so called death ...”

On 17 September, Prifix updated his Facebook status, refuting rumours that he was dead. He sounded unhappy and angry. He wrote: “I'm Not Dead! And For Everyone Blaming My Manager Lavhutanu For The Reason That His Account Was Hacked, F@#k You! The Man Plays A Role Of Being My Father; He Will Never Do Such A Thing!!!”

Prifix is famous for songs such as Born and Raised, Vhutshilo ho shanduka, and Rudzani. He hails from Mapate village, south of Thohoyandou.

Date:25 September 2015

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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