Boy tries to poison family

By Phumlani Saul

A nine-year-old boy from Peace Village in Kwanobuhle nearly wiped out his entire family, including his ninety-year-old grandmother and two visiting family friends, when he served them tea laced with the notorious “Gabose”or Rat poison last week.

The little boy apparently wanted to get back at his father and grandmother for scolding and beating him for stealing money from the house. 

The boy from Peace Village later confessed to his mother to having served poisoned tea to his father, grandmother and two of his father’s friends.

A distraught Simon Nyamana (62) said he could not come to grips with the fact that his son had tried to poison him.

Nyamana said the near tragic incident happened when his wife Maria (38) instructed their son to make tea for them. Nyamana said a few minutes after drinking the tea his mother, Rinkie, complained of stomach cramps and started vomiting. When she passed out they realised something was seriously wrong.

Minutes later Nyamana and his two friends, Abel Tsoku (65) and Jacob Molani (64), started to vomit. Nyamana managed to call the police from his cell phone before passing out, only to wake up at the Provincial hospital hours later.

“I was surprised when the doctor told us we had been poisoned. I initially suspected my wife; I never thought it would be my son.” 

The truth hit home when they heard that the boy had confessed to the police and his mother that he took the poison from the top of the wardrobe where it was hidden and poured it into their tea. He could not explain the reasons for his action. 

His mother said she could not make any sense of his actions either as the family has a good relationship with the boy.

police spokesperson, Joseph Gokane, said a case of attempted murder had not been opened against the minor as they had referred him to social workers for observation and are waiting for a report to establish the cause of the boy’s actions.

The boy has since been taken in by his maternal grandmother in Pietensie. The local social welfare department spokesperson, Nono Khambule, confirmed the case has been referred to them.