News / Regional
Toddler dies after gulping 375ml tototo
14 Dec 2014 at 12:09hrs | Views
CHINENGO villagers under chief Pashu in Binga were recently left shell-shocked when a three-old-girl died after emptying a 375ml bottle of an illicit traditional brew, tototo, which was stored in a kitchen cabinet at her parents' home.
Sources close to the development told Sunday News that Juliet Ngwenya was at her parents' homestead on Thursday when she went to the kitchen cabinet and reached out for a 375ml bottle which she thought had juice.
Juliet's mother Monica Siamakaye said when she arrived from church at around 4pm she found Juliet, whom she had left in the custody of her 13-year-old sister, shaking uncontrollably before throwing herself on the ground and rolling all over. Shocked by her daughter's strange behaviour, she examined her and smelt alcohol on her breath.
"I left home to attend to some church errands and when I returned at around 4pm I found my youngest daughter throwing herself on the ground while banging her head. I didn't understand what was happening. Her strange behaviour prompted me examine her and when I held her in my arms I smelt alcohol from her breath," said a grief-stricken Siamakaye.
She said after her discovery, she rushed to the kitchen and almost collapsed when she realised that her daughter had drunk most of the alcohol in the bottle which belonged to her husband, Mthabisi Ngwenya.
"From there I decided to give her some milk in the hope that it would make her vomit the alcohol or dilute it before I left her sleeping hoping she would be better the following day," she said.
To Siamakaye's shock, at around 10pm when she checked on her daughter, she discovered that she had died.
Siamakaye expressed regret at having left her two children without the supervision of an adult, saying that had she been around the tragedy would have been averted.
Siamakaye's husband who was away at the time of the incident declined to comment.
The village head from the area, who was only identified as Siamakomba, expressed dismay at the death of the three-year-old girl and appealed to fellow villagers to exercise caution when handling hazardous substances.
Efforts to get a comment from police were fruitless as Matabeleland North provincial spokesperson Inspector Sipiwe Makonese was said to be on leave. However, police sources confirmed the incident, adding that they were keen to interview Ngwenya over the illicit brew.
Juliet has since been buried.
Sources close to the development told Sunday News that Juliet Ngwenya was at her parents' homestead on Thursday when she went to the kitchen cabinet and reached out for a 375ml bottle which she thought had juice.
Juliet's mother Monica Siamakaye said when she arrived from church at around 4pm she found Juliet, whom she had left in the custody of her 13-year-old sister, shaking uncontrollably before throwing herself on the ground and rolling all over. Shocked by her daughter's strange behaviour, she examined her and smelt alcohol on her breath.
"I left home to attend to some church errands and when I returned at around 4pm I found my youngest daughter throwing herself on the ground while banging her head. I didn't understand what was happening. Her strange behaviour prompted me examine her and when I held her in my arms I smelt alcohol from her breath," said a grief-stricken Siamakaye.
She said after her discovery, she rushed to the kitchen and almost collapsed when she realised that her daughter had drunk most of the alcohol in the bottle which belonged to her husband, Mthabisi Ngwenya.
"From there I decided to give her some milk in the hope that it would make her vomit the alcohol or dilute it before I left her sleeping hoping she would be better the following day," she said.
To Siamakaye's shock, at around 10pm when she checked on her daughter, she discovered that she had died.
Siamakaye expressed regret at having left her two children without the supervision of an adult, saying that had she been around the tragedy would have been averted.
Siamakaye's husband who was away at the time of the incident declined to comment.
The village head from the area, who was only identified as Siamakomba, expressed dismay at the death of the three-year-old girl and appealed to fellow villagers to exercise caution when handling hazardous substances.
Efforts to get a comment from police were fruitless as Matabeleland North provincial spokesperson Inspector Sipiwe Makonese was said to be on leave. However, police sources confirmed the incident, adding that they were keen to interview Ngwenya over the illicit brew.
Juliet has since been buried.
Source - Sunday News
