Five family members, four of them juveniles, died on Tuesday evening in Masangula communal lands in Mwenezi after they ate food suspected to have been laced with poison.
The five Sylvia, 7, and Beauty Baloyi, 4, Tafadzwa, 7, and Takudzwa Pote, 4, together with Esther Kungali, 70, of Village 7 in Masangula allegedly complained of severe stomach pain and died within minutes of each after they had consumed food mixed with fresh milk suspected to have been laced with an unknown herbicide.
Two of the deceased Tafadzwa and Takudzwa were children from an earlier marriage of Marita Zavirima, 35, who is now married to polygamist Musuteri Dhambarara, 59. Dhambarara has two other wives.
Sylivia and Beauty were Zavirima’s nieces while Esther was the latter’s mother. All the five died at Zavirima’s house after eating the food which she had prepared for supper. Zavirima and another relative who also ate the food cheated death after they vomited soon after consumption.
It is suspected that Zavirima cooked dried vegetables which she mixed with fresh milk that had been laced with an unknown herbicide and served her family for supper resulting in them experiencing severe stomach pains causing the death of the five.
Their bodies were taken to Chiredzi District Hospital mortuary where they are awaiting post mortem. It is alleged that on the fateful day Dhambarara together with his youngest wife Marita left their home in Village 6 in Masangula and went to Village 7 where his first wife Makanani Lisimati and the second one, Tikomunyi Mapanyi, 32, stayed.
Zavirima took with her a two-litre container in which she wanted to put some fresh milk after the milking of cows with her husband in Village 7. Upon arrival, Zavirima allegedly left her container with the first wife Makanani while she proceeded to a food for work programme in the area.
When Zavirima returned, she collected the milk that had been brought by her husband and gave the first wife to share among the three wives. She left to fetch water at a nearby well leaving behind the first wife Makanani to share the milk.
After a few minutes, Makanani allegedly followed Zavirima to the well with the latter’s share of the milk. Zavirima later on returned to her home in Village 6 where she proceeded to prepare supper made of sadza and dried vegetables which she mixed with fresh milk since she did not have cooking oil.
After preparing the meal, Zavirima served the food to eight people who were present but one of the children refused to eat the relish and just ate the sadza. The other seven family members including Zavirima, her mother and the five deceased proceeded to eat the meal and started complaining of severe pain in the stomach within minutes.
Dhambarara, who was at home but refused to eat the meal then tried to administer first aid by inducing vomiting but only his wife vomited and survived while the other five succumbed to the poison. He allegedly gave the meal to some dogs they kept in an attempt to establish whether the food contained poison or not and all the dogs died.
Dhambarara’s first wife allegedly fled soon after word spread that five people had died at Zavirima’s house and her whereabouts are still unknown with police launching a manhunt for her. National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday confirmed the death and said investigations were underway.
“I can confirm that five people died in Mwenezi after they developed stomach pain as they were eating supper. We’re still investigating their deaths and it’s painful that four of the deceased are children whose lives have been ended prematurely,’’ she said. Snr Asst Comm Charamba said what made the Mwenezi deaths even more painful was that the tragedy struck just days after six children died in Mashonaland East following a mysterious baptism ceremony by a self-styled prophet.
Source: Chronicle
Two of the deceased Tafadzwa and Takudzwa were children from an earlier marriage of Marita Zavirima, 35, who is now married to polygamist Musuteri Dhambarara, 59. Dhambarara has two other wives.
Sylivia and Beauty were Zavirima’s nieces while Esther was the latter’s mother. All the five died at Zavirima’s house after eating the food which she had prepared for supper. Zavirima and another relative who also ate the food cheated death after they vomited soon after consumption.
It is suspected that Zavirima cooked dried vegetables which she mixed with fresh milk that had been laced with an unknown herbicide and served her family for supper resulting in them experiencing severe stomach pains causing the death of the five.
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| Horror as 5 family members die after eating poisoned sadza |
Zavirima took with her a two-litre container in which she wanted to put some fresh milk after the milking of cows with her husband in Village 7. Upon arrival, Zavirima allegedly left her container with the first wife Makanani while she proceeded to a food for work programme in the area.
When Zavirima returned, she collected the milk that had been brought by her husband and gave the first wife to share among the three wives. She left to fetch water at a nearby well leaving behind the first wife Makanani to share the milk.
After a few minutes, Makanani allegedly followed Zavirima to the well with the latter’s share of the milk. Zavirima later on returned to her home in Village 6 where she proceeded to prepare supper made of sadza and dried vegetables which she mixed with fresh milk since she did not have cooking oil.
After preparing the meal, Zavirima served the food to eight people who were present but one of the children refused to eat the relish and just ate the sadza. The other seven family members including Zavirima, her mother and the five deceased proceeded to eat the meal and started complaining of severe pain in the stomach within minutes.
Dhambarara, who was at home but refused to eat the meal then tried to administer first aid by inducing vomiting but only his wife vomited and survived while the other five succumbed to the poison. He allegedly gave the meal to some dogs they kept in an attempt to establish whether the food contained poison or not and all the dogs died.
Dhambarara’s first wife allegedly fled soon after word spread that five people had died at Zavirima’s house and her whereabouts are still unknown with police launching a manhunt for her. National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday confirmed the death and said investigations were underway.
“I can confirm that five people died in Mwenezi after they developed stomach pain as they were eating supper. We’re still investigating their deaths and it’s painful that four of the deceased are children whose lives have been ended prematurely,’’ she said. Snr Asst Comm Charamba said what made the Mwenezi deaths even more painful was that the tragedy struck just days after six children died in Mashonaland East following a mysterious baptism ceremony by a self-styled prophet.
Source: Chronicle
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