Boyfriend AWOL following suspected case of poisoning
Pini Bothoko - Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday November 22, 2022 06:00
On Tuesday last week, Tlhwaafalo and her siblings were rushed to hospital after they drank tea in the morning, which they had prepared using water stored in containers.
The tea allegedly claimed the life of Gakeitshege Montshosi, 62, and another villager who stopped by the family home to comfort the bereaved after hearing of the sad news of Montshosi's passing. Currently, two others are still fighting for their lives at Bokamoso Private Hospital— Tlhwaafalo's elder brother and a mourner.
Two others were discharged last Thursday— Tlhwaafalo and another villager who came to offer their condolences. The family suspects that the problem seems to be coming from the water they had stored in their containers.
“Our suspicion is that someone might have poisoned our water containers. We are saying so because we had used the same water to prepare supper the previous night and did not have any complications, hence the suspicion that someone might have poisoned our water containers while we were asleep,” Tlhwaafalo told The Monitor. Further narrating events of that fateful morning, the 46-year-old Tlhwaafalo said after waking her elder sister up, Montshosi prepared tea and left home for work immediately after drinking her beverage.
She said she was shocked when people brought her home carrying her after she allegedly collapsed while walking to work. “She was vomiting and feeling dizzy with foam coming out of her mouth and nose. We were confused not knowing what the problem could be and she was rushed to the clinic. After they left for the clinic I took a cup and poured myself the same tea and immediately experienced the same symptoms.
I do not know what happened thereafter only to wake up hospitalised at Scottish Livingstone Hospital in Molepolole,” she said. Tlhwaafalo further revealed that her family suspects her boyfriend because he disappeared into thin air after the fateful morning.
The boyfriend failed to visit her at the hospital, and hasn't even come by to mourn with them even though he had been living at the family's residence for years as he is no stranger to them. “I do not know if he is aware that I was discharged from the hospital or not because he has never come to check on me. I am also confused because I am talking about someone who was staying with me, not his family.
That fateful morning it was me, my deceased elder sister, my elder brother, him and a schoolgoing child who on that day left for school without eating anything,” Tlhwaafalo said. When initially confronted with allegations that the family suspects her boyfriend poisoned the water containers, because he had disputes with her siblings, Tlhwaafalo dismissed the allegations as false saying that she was not aware of such allegations, even though she ultimately admitted that her boyfriend's behaviour is suspicious.
“There is no such thing. We have been living together peacefully. Re ntse re tshela hela sentle le ha nne re sa apeye rotlhe mme hela gake gakgamalele gore batho ba ka belaela ene ka gore o sale a tsamaile ebile o paletswe ke gotla go ntlhola ke robaditswe leha ele gotla go re tshidisa re wetswe ke seru,” she said. She stated that what pains her is that her boyfriend last disappeared that fateful morning claiming to be going to the kraal to check on the goats and never came back. Meanwhile, Tlhwaafalo hopes for the recovery of her other family members who are still hospitalised.