eNCA, a news station, made a significant mistake by reporting the death of singer Kelly Khumalo rather than the late Winnie Khumalo, who died on Tuesday after a brief illness. This gaffe generated indignation, particularly from Kelly, who resorted to Instagram to vent her frustration.
“@encanews you may hate me or even think less of me. However, this is very reckless, ignorant and disrespectful — not only to me but to those who love and care about me, especially my kids. Put some respect on my name,” Kelly wrote, clearly angered by the mistake.
Her post quickly gained attention, with many of her followers weighing in. One user offered some understanding, saying, “He is human, He is allowed to error. And he apologized. And he said 51 years so we all knew that can’t be you.” Kelly, however, was unappeased, replying sharply, “I don’t care, this reckless. Period!”
Others suggested Kelly should move on, with one follower commenting, “It was a mistake. He quickly rectified it and apologized. Yekani iDrama (leave the drama).” But Kelly wasn’t having it, responding: “idrama (the drama) it’s you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong… Put yourself in my shoes but then again you won’t survive a second.”
The error was acknowledged by eNCA’s news anchor Shahan Ramkissoon, who publicly apologized. “It is Winnie Khumalo who passed away at the age of 51, not Kelly Khumalo. I apologize for that error,” he said.
Ramkissoon later took to Instagram to offer further apologies, writing, “Apologies for the mistake @kellykhumaloza. This correction and apology were made on air.”
