Actor and model Mohale Motaung said he is grateful to God after he nearly fell victim to drink-spiking.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Motaung revealed that his drink was nearly spiked twice but thankfully his friend Peace Maphalu discovered the perpetrator.
“Last night someone tried to spike my drink TWICE, Thank God @uPeace_ was there and saw this guy.
“We didn’t even know what to do after we caught him because we were just in so much disbelief. People are weird!”
Last night someone tried to spike my drink TWICE, Thank God @uPeace_ was there and saw this guy. 😳😨
— Mohale Motaung (@mohale_motaung) November 28, 2021
We didn’t even know what to do after we caught him because we were just in so much disbelief.
People are weird! ☹️☹️☹️
While fans seem genuinely concerned about Motaung, others offered their advice, particularly with the festive season coming, urging peeps to be more vigilant when out drinking and partying.
Below are some of the fans reactions on Twitter.
Ereng budget?...u can use me as a bodyguard😅 pic.twitter.com/nJrqmI7iGc
— Hlaha@861024 (@Hlaha8610241) November 28, 2021
Don't you know you don't make that mistake and leave your drink unattended even with your friend pic.twitter.com/QGSg9SHB2q
— Sir Mphoza 🔞💎 (@MphozaM7) November 28, 2021
Imagine 🤔people are so cruel, you must be always careful 🤞
— Norma (@Normamjali) November 28, 2021
In case you may be wondering what drink-spiking is, it is when someone puts alcohol or drugs into another person’s drink without their knowledge.
According to The Conversation, this can include: putting alcohol into a non-alcoholic drink; adding extra alcohol to an alcoholic drink; and slipping prescription or illegal drugs into an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink.
The Conversation also shared some of their top tips on “how to prevent drink-spiking“.
Have your drink close to you, keep an eye on it and don’t leave it unattended
Avoid sharing beverages with other people
Purchase or pour your drinks yourself
If you’re offered a drink by someone you don’t know well, go to the bar with them and watch the bartender pour your drink
If you think your drink tastes weird, pour it out immediately
Keep an eye on your friends and their beverages too.
A previous IOL article uncovered a new date rape drug, eyedrops.
Eyedrops, dubbed the new Rohypnol, are being used to spike victims’ drinks in nightclubs and at parties, making them easy targets for robbers and rapists.
Mandisa Hela, registrar of medicines at the Medicines Control Council, said eyedrops contained benzalkonium chloride and naphazoline nitrite, which were highly soluble in alcohol.
She said oral ingestion could cause drowsiness and depression of the central nervous system, while the benzalkonium could cause disturbance of consciousness progressing to a coma.
Charlie Cawood, of the Community Pharmacist sector of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa, said ingesting eyedrops could slow your heart rate, and you could become confused and unable to concentrate.
“It may also suppress your central nervous system. But you must take into account the amount of alcohol you have been drinking and at what rate. You would have to put a large amount (of eyedrops) in a drink for it to have a very serious effect on an individual.”
The other well-known drugs used to spike drinks were Rohypnol, ketamine hydrochloride (an odourless anaesthetic) and GHB, a veterinary product that paralyses victims, said Cawood.
Additional comments by Liam Karabo Joyce and Charmel Bowman.