Fake news : Kwaito musician Brickz is still in jail.

It was just someone’s very bad idea of a publicity stunt, officials have confirmed.

Musician Sipho Ndlovu, popularly known as Brickz, is still in jail. The Kwaito singer was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in 2017 after he was found guilty of raping a 17-year-old relative. The rape happened in 2013.

He started trending recently after someone posted a picture of him with DJ Cleo with a caption that made it seem as if he had been released from jail.

Some South Africans were up in arms over it while only a few welcomed the ‘fake news’.

The news has been dismissed by correctional service spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, who says the picture is old and someone decided to trend and used the old picture to spike dangerous rumours and spread fake news.

“Brickz is still in jail. What is circulating on social media is an old picture to spread fake news.”

Singabakho says the law for parole consideration of inmates is the same, irrespective of one’s social status.

“There is only one correctional services act, and how inmates are considered for parole placement is the same irrespective of their public status. You need to be eligible and how does one become eligible? They need to serve minimum required time and people know that he hasn’t served minimum required time,” Singabakho says.