Lethal brew kills 5, families suspect poisoning
“O death, where is your sting? Your death has left us with many questions without answers,” this is Andrew M’bwana’s eulogy, mourning his nephew Effort Pemba who died of suspected alcohol poisoning in Blantyre.
Pemba, 33, is among the five people who died between Friday and Saturday night after consuming alcohol suspected to have poisonous contents at a place known as Addis Ababa Shebeen in Manase Township in Blantyre. He died at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre on Saturday and was buried yesterday at Manase Cemetery.
During Pemba’s funeral service that attracted hundreds of people, the bereaved family, traditional leaders and most community members seemed puzzled with the deaths.
In his eulogy, M’bwana said his nephew’s death has left an indelible mark, saying Pemba had no any health complications and that he was strong.
“We are shocked with Effort’s sadden departure. We are speechless. I just received a call that he is unwell, but about five minutes later, it’s when I received another call that he has departed from us.
“We just put everything in the hands of the Almighty God, because He knows what has led to Effort’s death,” he said.
In his eulogy, group village head Martin said he and the entire community were puzzled with the deaths.
He said they are keenly waiting for postmodern results to establish what really caused these deaths. He urged his subjects to remain calm as they wait for postmortem results.
“This is the most difficult moment for everyone here, but let us not speculate the cause of these deaths until we get results from hospital officials or police. But this is shocking,” the chief said.
In a statement issued on Saturday, signed by Blantyre District director of health and social services Gift Kawalazira said five people had died in connection with the suspected alcohol poisoning as of Saturday and that two others were still in hospital.
When contacted, Kawalazira said they are still waiting for post mortem results to establish the real cause of these deaths.
In an interview yesterday, QECH deputy director Shaffi Mdala said since Friday evening, the hospital has received nine patients from around Manase Township, of which three died while receiving treatment.
Sources at the referral hospital indicate that preliminary findings show that the victims consumed methanol.
According to methanol.org, methanol is a chemical building block for hundreds of everyday products, including plastics, paints, car parts and construction materials. It is also a clean energy resource used to fuel cars, trucks, buses, ships, fuel cells, boilers and cook stoves.
Among others, ingestion of methanol may cause a wide range of adverse health effects such as headache, dizziness, agitation, acute mania, amnesia, decreased level of consciousness, including coma, and seizure.
In a separate interview, South West Police Region spokesperson Joseph Sauka said police have also launched investigations into the matter.
“Our officers are on the ground to confiscate the alcohol and arrest those doing the unauthorised business. The operation is targeting the whole region and all those who will be found doing this unauthorised business will be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
