Staff Reporter
Two young women from Bloemfontein aged 20 and 24 years old have died after consuming a homemade alcoholic brew.
A third one aged 23 is battling for life in the intensive care unit at Pelonomi Regional Hospital after drinking the same concoction said to be brewed with a hand sanitiser, among other things, to enhance its potency.
Provincial health department spokesperson Mondli Mvambi told The Free Stater by telephone that the actual ingredients used to make the lethal brew are yet to be confirmed by a laboratory.
“We don’t know what was in that concoction at the present moment,” said Mvambi.
“Police are still investigating and samples of that brew will be tested in a lab to confirm what was used to make it,” he added.
In an earlier statement, Mvambi said the hospital records at Pelonomi indicate that the two died on Saturday at 2pm and 10pm respectively.
It is believed at least seven young women took the drink on New Year’s Eve and were immediately rushed to hospital after they fell ill.
A local pastor who has only been named as Sekhutleleng and Ward 11 (Turflaagte) councillor Theo Mosala are said to have rushed them to hospital in a bid to save their lives.
They also led the search for other boys and girls suspected of having taken the toxic brew.
Three other girls have since been discharged while one is in casualty for further management.
The fatal experiment by the youths is believed to have been triggered by the recent ban on alcohol sales by the government as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Under the adjusted Level 3 regulations of the national lockdown, alcohol sales, transportation and distribution have been banned until January 15.
The government has blamed the consumption of alcohol in restaurants, bars and taverns for contributing to the spread of the virus and driving up trauma cases in hospitals.
Health MEC Montseng Tsiu has sent her condolences to the families of the deceased and wished those still in hospital a speedy recovery.