Niël Terblanché
Samples of the porridge that, so far, has killed 13 people from a single household at the Kayova Village in the Nyanga District of the Kavango East Region have been sent to a laboratory to determine what led to the tragedy.
Ben Nangombe, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, confirmed yesterday that four more members of the family have succumbed to the effects of the poisoned porridge since Tuesday.
“We are awaiting the results from the toxicology tests from the laboratory. To suggest anything else about what could have possibly caused the tragedy, without the proper test results, would only be conjecture at this stage,” he said.
The tragedy occurred over the past weekend after 18 members of the same household ate porridge made from a combination of mahangu flour and a fermented sediment from a homemade beer known as mundevere.
The victims ranged in age from two to 33 and only one person out of the 18 did not show any signs of poisoning.
According to Nangombe, the four members of the household that are still in hospital are all in critical condition.
Besides sending samples of the porridge for toxicology testing, the health Ministry is also awaiting the results of post-mortem examinations that are still pending.
Nangombe said that the four remaining victims are still being monitored closely.
In the meantime, the health Ministry deployed a team of social workers to provide psychosocial support and counselling to the bereaved family.
He said officials from the Ministry will also provide health education to members of the community on food preparation practices and the dangers of mixing food with materials that might be poisonous.
