12 family members poisoned

Twelve family members from Village Two in Umguza District, Matabeleland North region were rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital in the early hours of Wednesday with severe diarrhoea and vomiting and are said to have consumed food poisoning.

The family members reportedly left their corn at a nearby grinding mill unattended. Later, one of the family members went back to the mealie-meal mill to retrieve it. Police are currently looking into what happened.

Seven adults and five children were fighting for their lives as a result of the poisoning, Ms Rebecca Moyo claimed in an interview at Mpilo.

“On Tuesday, my brother James Ncube took a bucket of maize to a local grinding mill and was told to come back later as there were no attendants. Later on, he collected mealie-meal and proceeded to his house.

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His wife prepared isitshwala and they ate as a family. At around 6 PM, I went to my brother and asked for a mealie-meal as I had run out. We stay a few meters from their homestead as we are one family.

“I managed to cook isitshwala which we ate with my grandchildren and we retired to bed. At around 10 PM, one of my nephews came knocking at my door saying the whole family had fallen sick suddenly. I rushed there and inquired what they had eaten only to discover that it was isitshwala and vegetables,” said Ms. Moyo.

She said the condition kept deteriorating and within a few minutes, everyone was vomiting and taking turns to use the toilet as they had developed severe diarrhoea.