Online Reporter
Langalakhe Mabena
THE man who once “rose from the dead” during a staged resurrection has now come back to life — again — but this time, through the power of likes, shares, and monetised content.
If you still remember Brighton ‘Elliot’ Moyo, real name Thabiso Proud Mlanje, then you’ll remember the now-infamous scene from February 2019, when Pastor Alph Lukau of Alleluia Ministries in South Africa made headlines for allegedly resurrecting him.
That spectacle turned Elliot into a meme legend overnight — dancing, eating rice and salad at his own funeral, before he tragically passed away for real just two months later and was buried in his home village of Dandanda, Lupane.
But in true Elliot fashion, he just won’t die.
In a bizarre twist worthy of a Netflix docu-series, a social media content creator named Tanaka Dube, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Elliot, has become an overnight sensation — and some fans are asking, “Is Elliot back?”
He is a spitting image of the infamous Elliot and people are already asking for Tinashe Mugabe to have a say in the matter.
Dube, originally from Midlands, Zimbabwe, but now based in Johannesburg, has ridden the viral wave like a pro. His most iconic skit? A hilarious recreation of Elliot’s post-resurrection rice and salad feast — and it nearly broke the internet.
With 217 000 followers and counting, Dube is capitalising on his resemblance to Elliot, with fans around the world eating it up like, well… rice and salad.
“At first, I didn’t like it,” Dube admits. “People kept calling me Elliot and I felt like I was losing my identity. But I decided, if you can’t fight it, monetise it!”
And monetise he did. His comedic timing, facial resemblance, and surprisingly similar body structure to the late Elliot have made him a sought-after creator across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
But Dube says he’s now ready to move on from the resurrection jokes and focus on his brand, creativity, and hustle.
“I’m not just the Elliot guy,” he said. “I’m a brand strategist, a music writer, and I run a hair business too.”
While the original Elliot died under tragic circumstances in April 2019 — vomiting blood and hounded by South African authorities for his role in the resurrection hoax — this new age Elliot is rewriting the script, with skits, satire, and stacks of digital cash.
Dead or alive, Elliot remains a legend. And now, thanks to Tanaka Dube, the myth lives on.
