Man almost buries doll, believing it his deceased baby

A 44-year-old man from Mandeni on KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast is still reeling in shock after nearly burying a doll believing it to be the body of his recently “deceased” child.

Nkululeko Zulu, from Machibini village, says he is still struggling to come to terms with the deception by his former girlfriend, Diyana Maluleke, 44, who allegedly led him to believe she was pregnant for months with his child.

According to Zulu, Maluleke sent him what appeared to be ultrasound images and regular updates about her pregnancy. Trusting her, he believed he was going to be a father, and says he was grateful to God for the supposed blessing.

Throughout the supposed pregnancy, Zulu regularly sent her money. Though Maluleke lived in Durban and eventually stopped visiting, he continued to support her financially.

But things took a devastating turn. After months of anticipation, Maluleke never sent pictures of the baby following the supposed birth. Instead, she told Zulu the baby had died.

“I was heartbroken. I had told myself I was finally going to have a child,” Zulu said. “But there was nothing I could do, I had to inform my family and prepare for the funeral.”

Zulu said Maluleke brought the “body” from Durban, not on the day of the wake but only on the day of burial, by which time the grave had already been dug. She arrived in a bakkie, carrying a small coffin with the help of others.

“She looked forlorn, like someone mourning a real child,” he recalled.

Suspicion began to brew when Zulu’s older brother insisted that the coffin be opened so the family could say their final goodbyes and wipe the baby's face.

“A woman got angry and tried to stop us, saying there was no need,” said Zulu.

But when the coffin was opened, Zulu says he nearly collapsed. There was no baby inside, instead a plastic doll, neatly wrapped in a white shawl and its head wearing a white wool hat.

“My heart nearly stopped. When I touched it, it was stiff. I dropped the doll in shock,” he said.

After the grim discovery, Maluleke reportedly fled the scene. Zulu was left not only with heartbreak and humiliation but also facing community outrage. As tradition dictates, he has been summoned by the local tribal authority to explain why a funeral had been held on sacred land for someone who never existed.

“I now have to apologise to my village and to the Inkosi for something I didn’t do. This is so painful. My head is spinning,” he said.

Zulu has spent so much money on funeral preparations, contributions during the “pregnancy,” and baby clothes he had already bought. His family, he says, is furious over the shame he has brought upon them.

The couple had been together for two years.

“Everyone keeps asking what she hoped to gain from this. I don’t know, but I think it was just to keep getting money out of me,” said Zulu.

Zulu says the deceit escalated days before the fake funeral. He received a call from a woman, believed to be a relative of Maluleke, requesting money to buy a goat for a traditional cleansing ceremony.

In many Zulu communities, when a man impregnates a woman outside marriage, he is expected to pay inhlawulo (damages) and offer a goat to cleanse and restore dignity to the woman’s family.

Zulu refused to send the money.

Bheki Mathonsi, chairperson of the izinduna of the Mathonsi clan, confirmed he was aware of the incident but declined to comment further.

Efforts to reach Maluleke were unsuccessful. Her phone rang unanswered, and she did not respond to text messages.

The incident has since gone viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage and intense debate. While many condemned Maluleke’s actions as cruel and manipulative, others questioned how Zulu remained so uninvolved throughout the alleged pregnancy, and how he failed to spot the deception sooner.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE