Death hoaxes are very problematic occurrences and often spread like wildfire. One can only imagine what the persons family member might be going though wen they see a post on social media saying their loved one has passed.
We have seen numerous death hoaxes in ZAlebville this year alone and the fans of these celebs always fume. Now, very talented actor Israel Zulu is the latest ZAleb to be hit by such insensitive rumours.
Through his PR team, Israel Zulu "laughed off" these death rumours and said he is very much alive and recovering at his home surrounded by family.
“The rumor of the passing of GP-MaOrange remains that: rumor. They are an annual occurrence without fail. Israel is very much alive, recovering at home with family, and in high spirits. He will be celebrating his birthday on the 28th of December, and maybe those wishing him dead will for once have an opportunity to wish him long life then. He saw the rumor and just laughed it off,” reads the statement.
STATEMENT
Regarding erroneous and insensitive posts made yesterday about actor Israel Matseke Zulu passing away. pic.twitter.com/OkFQd3Jwqe
Israel Zulu suffers from a dangerous condition called Gangrene which forced him to quit his job at Gomora. Yes, his feature on the show was a short stint but it was cut short as he revealed he struggled to walk to set.
“The reason I am leaving the show is because I am sick, I started becoming sick shortly after I joined Gomora and I decided to leave the show because I saw it was becoming difficult for me because I can’t walk. Towards the end when I was shooting my last scene, I was using a wheelchair to get on set,” he revealed to the publication.
“Performance is my life, this was one of the hardest decisions that I had to take, but I saw that my health matters the most and I need to recover. It was also hard because people had fallen in love with my character and I see some of them are protesting saying they are going to stop watching,” reckons Israel. “I will recover, but not any time soon,” he told the paper.
He then had to release a statement where he clarified things and told his fans he is doing well.
“It is true that I have been diagnosed with a disease, which severely affected the functioning of my legs making difficult for me to walk properly and function well on set during the filming. It also makes it difficult for me to perform as an artist or throw in those Ghetto Professors dance moves that you know me for when invited to gigs. The growing demands of my job at Gomora made it difficult for me to give my all to the show due to this illness that effectively rendered me semi-crippled," he stated.
“I appreciate the show producers and fellow actors for their understanding and for carrying me until the end. I apologise to the multitudes of my fans for my exit and hope you continue to support the show, especially the young crop of actors who are really doing their best to make it exciting. I am currently receiving the best medical treatment, and I am in high spirits having passed what I believe to be the worst stage of my situation.
"I thank everyone for the kind messages and prayers during this time. I thank my family and friends for the support and being by my side. My God and ancestors are working wonder on me. I can assure you, GP-MaOrange will be back very soon! Spirit!”
