The Sunday News
She’s wearing a simple dress and a grey doek, the sadness on her face is evident.
“What can I say? I have no words,” she tells TshisaLIVE.
Her name is Ayanda and she was married to Linda Mkhize, popularly known as Prokid.
She’s in the kitchen at the Mkhize family home in Jabulani, Soweto (South Africa). She extends her hand to greet guests who have come to the house to pay their respects to the late musician, where TshisaLIVE has been allowed access exactly a week after Prokid died.
“I am very numbed by the situation. I have to do what I have to do,” Ayanda told TshisaLIVE.
Relatives who are in the house say they have been overwhelmed by all of the love and support they have received since Prokid’s death.
Two aunts who were at the house told TshisaLIVE that is has been good to see how Prokid is being remembered and the fact that the house has been filled with guests shows that “people loved him.”
“We are happy he was a people’s person and we’re overwhelmed with the love since he passed. It’s not easy for us, but we’re taking it day by day,” one of the aunts told TshisaLIVE.
The street outside the house is packed with community members who have gathered to show their support to the family.
They’ve been here since the news that Prokid died broke and they have been bringing the family food and drinks to help serve visitors.
The musician died on August 8 after a “severe seizure.” In a statement released by the family on Wednesday, the results of the post-mortem were made public.
“Doctors revealed that Linda suffered from hemosuccus pancreaticus which is bleeding in the pancreas, pancreatic duct or structures near the pancreas such as the artery, that bleed into the pancreatic duct,” read part of the statement.
It was reported that he died in the arms of his girlfriend, Mandisa Mbanjwa, whom he has been seeing for almost a year behind his wife’s back. Sunday World revealed that Prokid’s wife burst into tears and screamed when she saw the lifeless body of the Dankie San hit-maker on Mbanjwa’s bed in her flat in the Joburg CBD.
Before his demise, Sunday World understands the rapper spent a week at the flat. Ayanda grabbed Prokid’s clothes and stormed out of Mbanjwa’s flat after she, the artiste’s father and two brothers authorised the removal of his corpse to the mortuary.
The explosive details were revealed by Mbanjwa in an exclusive interview with Sunday World at her flat last Friday. Mbanjwa, who had black rings under her eyes from lack of sleep, said she dated Prokid 13 years ago but stopped seeing him after a few months.
“I had a few moments with him. Our relationship was brief. I was too young to be in a relationship. So 12 years later, we met again because Pro and I always had this incredible connection. We had a weird bond.”
Mbanjwa said she started searching for him last year after realising that he had disappeared from the music industry radar.
“Last year in October we met again. I visited him in Klipspruit (Soweto) and I could see he was not okay. You could see that he was sick but he was hiding it,” she said.
Mbanjwa alleged that Prokid told him that he was suffering from ulcers and he became worse when somebody at a local tavern recently gave him a drink that smelt like paraffin.
“From there he developed trust issues and also suffered from depression because of how the music industry treated him,” she said.
Mbanjwa said Prokid first came and stayed with her in her flat for a week after Valentine’s Day. Before that the two stole short moments together.
“You could see that something was killing him. When he was here with me he didn’t want to leave.”
Mbanjwa said the two recently discussed having a child together and Prokid wished for a boy he could name Zizwezethu.
Mbanjwa’s sister and a friend, who didn’t want to be named, confirmed the affair.
“He has always been part of this family,” said the sibling during our interview.
The friend, who lives in the same complex, witnessed the whole incident on Wednesday when Mbanjwa called them for help after the rapper died. Two security guards at the flat confirmed to Sunday World that Prokid lived with Mbanjwa and died in her flat.
“We regarded him as a tenant because he spent most of his time here,” said the guard.
Another guard said he was devastated when Prokid died.
“When the paramedics arrived and told us that they were going to help him because he was not well, we prayed that he (would be helped) but unfortunately he died. I think this will haunt this young woman forever. I feel sorry for her,” he said.
Mbanjwa’s version contradicts the statement by Prokid’s family that he died at a friend’s place.
Ayanda’s spokesperson, Phumza Nohashe, declined to discuss Prokid’s clandestine affair with Mbanjwa.
“We are coming to terms with the loss of a beloved son, husband, father and brother. Our focus right now is to ensure we give him a dignified send-off. Please may you grant us the time, space and peace to mourn our beloved,” she said. –TimesLive/ Sunday World.
