Sibusiso Gcabashe who claimed to be the late popular maskandi artist Mgqumeni Khumalo appears briefly at the Nquthu Magistrate Court. Photo: Khaya Ngwenya Sibusiso Gcabashe who claimed to be the late popular maskandi artist Mgqumeni Khumalo appears briefly at the Nquthu Magistrate Court. Photo: Khaya Ngwenya
Durban - Four years after first claiming to be a famous dead Maskandi musician, Sibusiso Gcabashe was on Tuesday sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Gcabashe shot to infamy by claiming he was Khulekani “Mgqumeni” Khumalo and said he had risen from the dead. He was convicted of five charges in December.
On Tuesday, he was sentenced in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s court to 15 years for rape, seven for impersonating another person, five for kidnapping and a year for defeating the ends of justice. Last year he was sentenced to three months for assault.
Khumalo’s family said they would appeal the case in the High Court because they still believed Gcabashe was indeed their son, Mgqumeni.
Sam Khumalo, Mgqumeni’s father, said: “There is a person out there named Gcabashe who committed all these crimes, but (the one convicted) is iBhova (another nickname for the dead musician), that is why we will appeal. We are not happy with the sentence.”
According to a report in The Witness, Gcabashe was on Tuesday still adamant he was Khumalo. He sang one of Khumalo’s songs before he was led to the cells.
He is reported to have told the SABC he was Mgqumeni and denied he was guilty. He said he would continue to play his guitar and compose music in prison.