Police in Bulawayo have issued a strong warning on the safe storage of pesticides and other hazardous household chemicals following a tragic incident that claimed the life of a 35-year-old man in Mpopoma.
Provincial police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said the incident, which occurred on March 22 this year, highlighted the danger of keeping toxic substances in easily accessible places at home.
“The now-deceased, identified as Kindness Paradza, who was reportedly mentally unwell, put an unknown pesticide in a pot of porridge he was preparing for his family,” she said.
Msebele said Paradza’s wife quickly disposed of the porridge to prevent the family from consuming it, leading to a confrontation that prompted relatives to contact the police for assistance.
“While arrangements were being made to take him for medical help, it was discovered that he had already consumed some of the poisoned porridge,” she said.
“An ambulance was immediately called, but Paradza was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.”
Msebele cited other disturbing incidents, including a case where a child drank a cattle dip chemical that had been stored in a soft drink bottle, mistaking it for a beverage and another where a student reportedly died following the consumption of an insecticide after failing Ordinary Level examinations.
“Chemicals must never be left in places where they can be easily accessed or mistaken for food or drink,” she warned, urging the public to ensure hazardous substances are kept out of reach and properly labelled, especially in households with vulnerable individuals.
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