A Bulawayo boy(13)died in a case of suspected alcohol poisoning after he drank an undiluted 750ml bottle of brandy in less than an hour.
Clayton Mhlanga is reported to have drunk the whole bottle alone after he had been left guarding a vehicle by his much older friends. The friends left Clayton while they watched a soccer match at Barbourfieds Stadium.
The friends, Mthunzi Malaba (22), Thobani Ncube and Likhwa Dube are alleged to have disappeared.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the sad incident:
On November 30 at around 2 PM, the deceased went to Barbourfields Stadium to watch the match with his friends. The now deceased was left guarding the car. After the match, the three friends returned and realised that the now deceased had consumed undiluted alcohol which they had left in the car.
The friends then took the incoherent Clayton back home to his stepfather Emmanuel Sibanda.
Sibanda tried to talk to the now deceased and he was not responding. He sprinkled some water on him but he did not respond and he later laid him on his bed.
The next day, Sibanda fed Clayton with some water and porridge. He vomited everything and there was no improvement to his health. His condition continued to worsen and he died later on that day at around 3 PM.
However, Clayton’s grandmother is not convinced that her grandson’s death was from the alcohol and insists that there was foul play. The grandmother said:
The post-mortem results said his kidneys were swollen, his tummy was full of water and some drops of alcohol were also found in the tummy. So, if it is alcohol that caused his death then why has his tongue and hands turned black. We suspect that there might be foul play by his friends
