'I'm shocked that people want me dead,' says Bev

RAUNCHY dancer Beverly 'Bev' Sibanda says she is disturbed that people want her dead after another death hoax emerged this week and was circulating on social media.

This time around, rumour mongers claimed that the popular dancer was stabbed at an undisclosed bar. Last year in August, Bev was said to have died after being run over by a car in Harare's Sunningdale suburb.

Bev said her time to die would only be determined by God. "I'm not dead! I'm alive and kicking," a distraught Bev said quashing the death hoax.

"Only God will decide the time I'll die not anyone else. I'm shocked that people want me dead. "I'm upset over the whole issue and I think its haters who don't want to see me succeed hence they prefer me dead," said Bev.

She said this was the second time people had wished her dead. "Whoever is spreading the rumour has nothing else to do in life or with their life. Last year someone said I was run over by a car, this year I was stabbed. I wonder what the next story will be," said Bev.

Her manager Hapaguti Mapimhidze said he was still at a loss of words after news circulated on social networking sites that the controversial dancer had breathed her last. "I don't know what to say, this is disturbing to say the least. What is worrying is that there's a clique of people who make it a game to spread such malicious rumours around using social media. They don't know that they cause a lot of alarm and misery by doing that," said Mapimhidze.

"I've been receiving a lot of calls from people who are concerned and want confirmation that she's indeed dead. "It's frustrating and disturbing to say the least." He said Bev does not go to bars or nightspots when she is not performing.

"Bev only goes to the bar from Thursday to Sunday when she is booked to perform. On other days, she'll be at home resting and spending time with her child. So there's no chance she can be stabbed in a bar on a Wednesday," said Mapimhidze

Bev is not the first to be rumoured dead on social media, as Chimurenga music icon Cde Chinx (real name Dickson Chingaira) was last month said to be dead before it emerged that it was a hoax. Zim dancehall chanter Winky D (real name Wallace Chirumiko) was said to have been poisoned by his girlfriend last year, the late Tongai Moyo and Andy Brown were also rumoured to have died several times, before they eventually passed on in 2011 and 2012 respectively.