5 POISONED AT PRAISE SINGER’S HOMESTEAD

MANKAYANE - A night of relaxation turned into a medical emergency for six friends after a suspected poisoning incident at Musi, Mgubaneni, in the Manzini Region, on Tuesday night.

The incident happened at the home of Royal Praise Singer Sandile ‘Msandi KaBaba’ Nxumalo. The area is located just outside Mankayane, towards the Sicunusa Border Post. The group of six men, who had gathered at a compound allegedly belonging to one of the King’s praise singers, began experiencing symptoms of illness after consuming a meal they had prepared.

According to Senzo Hlatjwako, one of the men involved, they had left the compound earlier in the evening to purchase alcohol. Along the way, they encountered an acquaintance who asked to join them. The group declined, citing limited supplies.

Prepare

Upon returning to the compound, the men decided to prepare a meal. “We started a fire outside and used a three-legged pot to cook chicken, as we had already prepared rice before going out,” Hlatjwako said. The men continued drinking indoors while taking turns checking on the cooking food. It was Mduduzi Dlamini who first noticed something unusual. “When I tasted the chicken, it had a bitter flavour. I was certain it wasn’t salt—it had a strange taste,” he said.

Another member of the group, Musa Mthimkhulu, later checked the food and confirmed Dlamini’s concerns. In response, the group decided to discard the soup from the pot and replace it with clean water. All except one of them tasted the soup before it was thrown away.

Illness

Shortly afterwards, Dlamini began showing signs of illness, including sweating and weakness. Initially, the others assumed it was the effects of alcohol. However, when another man who had tasted the food also began vomiting, they realised something was wrong. “The sickness affected us in the order in which we had tasted the food,” one of the men recounted. Five of the six men experienced symptoms, while the one who had not consumed the food remained unaffected.

Recognising the seriousness of the situation, the unaffected man alerted family members and neighbours, who attempted to provide first aid. Suspecting poisoning, they gave the men fresh milk while an ambulance was called. The five affected individuals were taken to Mankayane Government Hospital on Tuesday night.

Three were treated and discharged the same night, while the remaining two were released yesterday morning. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer  Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed reports of a suspected poisoning incident at Musi in Mgubaneni. Police investigations into the matter are ongoing. Nxumalo confirmed that the incident happened at his home, but said he could not comment much on the issue pending police investigations.

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