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Tsholotsho man downs three 750ml bottles of vodka, dies

by Staff reporter
29 Aug 2017 at 06:16hrs | Views
A MAN from Tsholotsho collapsed and died after downing three 750ml bottles of vodka at a local business centre.

Thembelani Ncube (23) of Maminya Line, under Chief Gampu was found dead on Saturday morning following a night of drinking with two friends.

A police source said a post mortem report suggested that Ncube could have died of excessive intake of alcohol.

He said there were marks on his body.

The deceased was last seen alive drinking beer with Surrender Moyo (56) and Tapson Moyo (35) on Friday night.

Surrender and Tapson slept on a concrete slab at the business centre and when they woke up the next morning, they left Ncube at the scene thinking that he was still too drunk to wake up.

Ncube's body was discovered by his brother Freeman Ncube (25) who decided to search for him as he had not returned home the previous night.

Chief Gampu confirmed the incident.

"I can confirm receiving a report of a young man who was found dead after a drinking spree at MaDawu Business Centre in Maminya Village.

"The man allegedly drank too much hot stuff in the company of his two friends and the trio are said to have ended up taking the alcohol undiluted. He was found dead the following morning," he said.

The chief bemoaned drug and alcohol abuse in his area saying it was behind rising crimes such as murder and assault.

A villager, Mr Mthunzi Gwase said those who saw Ncube lying on the concrete slab ignored him thinking that he was drunk as usual.

"It was the trio's habit to embark on drinking sprees. They usually drink undiluted hot stuff and when people saw him on Saturday morning, they thought he was drunk as usual and no one bothered to check on him," he said.

Mr Gwase said he saw the trio buy a 750ml bottle of Jaydox Vodka at around 2PM on Friday.

"I am not sure if this was their first bottle or what, but they were diluting the vodka with milk. At around 6PM, the trio bought another bottle but this time it was a 750ml bottle of Nikolai Vodka and again diluted it with milk.

"After just about an hour, they purchased a third 750ml bottle of Nikolai again, but this time the trio gulped it undiluted.

"They were stone drunk and none of them could hold the other as they all fell uncontrollably," he said.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese was not reachable for comment.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said: "We reported the matter and the body was ferried to United Bulawayo Hospitals for post mortem."

Source - chronicle