Johannesburg – Two third-year Vaal University of Technology (VUT) students have died after drinking alcohol mixed with a cough syrup.
According to the police, the bodies were covered in vomit and were discovered not far from each other.
Sharpville police spokesperson Constable Busisiwe Sango said information at their disposal was the two women were spotted on Sunday drinking dry gin mixed with cough syrup .
That concoction, Sango said, is popularly known as Lean.
She said later around 7pm, the women went to VUT’s external residence at Froneman street in Vanderbijlpark.
“At that stage they were both smoking hubbly bubbly. Around 7.45 they were showing signs of illness and one of their friends offered them a place to sleep.
“Only one of them slept there. The other student went to another residence resident which is a street away.”
Sango said the student who had taken up on the offer to sleep at the residence at Froneman street was found covered in vomit and dead in the morning.
While there were other people in the room at the time, they allegedly did not hear her vomiting at night.
While everyone was shocked, the other student who had slept at the neighbouring residence had also been discovered dead. She had slept alone in the room and was also covered in vomit.
One of the students was 21 and studying Fine Arts. She was from Orange Farms and staying at the student residence.
The other deceased, Sango said, was 22 from Sebokeng. She was studying Tourism and also staying at the residence.
Sango said an inquest case had been opened and they were awaiting a toxicology report.
IOL