Harare - Five members from a polygamous family have died from suspected food poisoning in Mwenezi, about 470 kilometres south of the Zimbabwe capital, Harare.
The five – four young children and a elderly woman – died soon after eating supper on Tuesday evening.
According to police, the five, Sylvia, 7, Beauty Baloyi, 4, Tafadzwa, 7, and Takudzwa Pote, 4, as well as 70-year-old Esther Kungali, complained of severe stomach aches and died within minutes of each other soon after eating sadza, a staple food, and fresh milk they had been served.
It is suspected the food had been laced with a herbicide.
National police spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, described the deaths as “painful”.
“I can confirm five people died in Mwenezi after they developed stomach pains as they were eating supper. We are still investigating their deaths,” she said.
The incident occurred barely 12 hours after tragedy struck in another growth point east of Harare on the same day when six children from the same family died as they were being baptised by two self-styled prophets.
That incident happened near Sadza, a town about 150 kilometres south-east of Harare.
Two suspects, who were later arrested, had taken nine children to a nearby stream for the baptism ceremony.
The children reportedly died after being submerged repeatedly in the freezing cold water.
The children who died were two boys and four girls, aged between one and nine.
– African News Agency