Afrikaans opera singer Jannie Moolman is in critical condition after being admitted to hospital following a fall from the roof of a restaurant in Hartbeespoort over the weekend.
According to Huisgenoot, Moolman is being kept under sedation at the Milpark hospital in Johannesburg, for serious injuries sustained on Saturday night, 5 March, when he fell to the ground from a reported height of three metres.
The singer's agent, Hetta Saunderson, confirmed the accident and revealed that they suspect foul play.
Moolman was attending the bachelor's party of a family friend when he, according to the George Herald, fell from a quiet spot away from the festivities in the restaurant, and that marks on his right arm has raised suspicions that he was pushed.
Saunderson told Huisgenoot that the singer broke his eye bone, cheek bone, mouth, left hand, and "everything on his left side" during the fall.
"There are also marks on his right side," she added.
"We suspect someone pushed him, but this is still just allegations. At the moment we don't know what happened to Jannie."
Saunderson confirmed that no sign of brain damage has been detected and that he has been operated on. Doctors are currently keeping him sedated until the severe swelling subsides.
The singer's girlfriend, Melissa, also spoke to Huisgenoot about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the accident.
She said: "It was in the early evening - 23:00 - not two o'clock in the morning, and it was a tranquil restaurant. It just sounds strange to us that he fell from the roof. I know Jannie, and he won't take chances like that."
Saunderson further said that, while Moolman is critical, doctors have said he will recover.
"It is going to be a long road to recovery. And when he wakes up and gives us answers, we will investigate further," she said.
Jannie Moolman is an internationally acclaimed Afrikaans tenor who honed his skills as an opera singer under the mentorship of acclaimed opera singers Gudrun Barrella and Marita Napier.
Aside from numerous solo albums, he is known as a member of classical trio 'Ons Eie Drie Tenore' (Our Our Three Tenors), and regularly shares the stage with fellow Afrikaans singer Rina Hugo.