Journalist Shahan Ramkissoon Apologizes to Kelly Khumalo After Mistakingly Reporting Her Death Live on Air in South Africa

In a rather unfortunate turn of events, journalist Shahan Ramkissoon publicly apologized to South African singer Kelly Khumalo after mistakenly reporting her death on air during the broadcast of The Lead on January 7, 2025.

The On-Air Mistake and Apology

During the live broadcast, Ramkissoon, while discussing breaking news, incorrectly stated that Kelly Khumalo had passed away.

He made the announcement, saying, “If you are just joining us, our breaking news story is that musician Kelly Khumalo has passed away at the age of 51.

We will speak to her colleagues in a short while.”

The error was made on air and caused immediate confusion.

Soon after realizing the mix-up, Ramkissoon took to Instagram to offer his apology to the singer.

He clarified that the mistake was likely a confusion with iconic singer Winnie Khumalo, who passed away at the age of 51 on the same day.

Shahan assured his followers that the correction and apology were also made on air. “Apologies for the mistake @kellykhumaloza.

This correction and apology was made on air,” he wrote.

Kelly Khumalo Responds to the Incident

The mistake did not go unnoticed by Kelly Khumalo, who swiftly addressed it with a message on social media.

She took to Instagram to call out the broadcaster, ENCA, accusing them of being reckless and disrespectful.

She wrote, “@encanews you may hate me or even think very 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.”

ENCA Clarifies the Confusion

In response to the backlash, ENCA posted a clip of Shahan Ramkissoon properly reporting the death of Winnie Khumalo, the iconic singer.

The caption for the clip clarified the details: “SA singer Winnie Khumalo has died at the age of 51.

The Soweto-born artist died earlier today at her home after a short illness. She was known for a long musical career, dating back to the 1980s.

She was a backing singer to Brenda Fassie, before releasing her own material.”