FOUR ESWATINI WOMEN DIE AFTER DRINKING ‘INDAYELA’

MBABANE – Tragic!

Four Eswatini women, who migrated to seek employment at the textile firms in South Africa (SA), succumbed to death, a few days after drinking indayela (spiritual tea that is usually without sugar) concoction. According to a well placed source in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the four emaSwati left the country last year in search for a better paying jobs after complaining that they were being paid low salaries at the firms in Matsapha. The source, who also migrated to SA for the same reasons over two years ago, said that the four women arrived in Newcastle last year and worked as casuals for a few months. The source further revealed that after their contract expired at the textile firm at Newcastle, they decided to then try their luck at Umlazi in Durban.

Luck was not on their side at Umlazi as days turned into months and they were not picked as thousands of hopefuls lined up for employment at the textile firms there. The source revealed that the four women ‘faced’ at the textile firms for an opportunity to be picked for over five months until one of their friends advised them to consider attending a certain church for spiritual cleansing (kugeza emabhadi). “It was in September 30, 2022 that the four women decided to attend the church (name deliberately withheld) where they were prayed for and thereafter made to drink a certain concoction. In fact they drank the concoction, which they said was an indayela, upon their arrival,” said the source.

Prayers

It was revealed that after the prayers and drinking of the indayela concoction, the four women, together with their friend, were told by the leader of that church that their prayers were heard and they would be employed soon.
The source disclosed that the women returned to their rented flat which they shared, but at night one of them woke up and tried to wake up the rest of them and they could not open their eyes or respond to her. She then realised that they could be dead and out of panic, and the knowledge that South African police were not going to take her word, she decided to escape and took a taxi to Newcastle.

“I am working at the textile firms here in Newcastle and last week Tuesday when we knocked off from work at about 10pm we saw a woman who was from Eswatini running towards us and they said they were dying, can we call an ambulance for her and we asked what was going on, she said she was from Durban. “She told us she left there because a tragedy had occurred. She narrated to us what happened in Durban and said they were a group of five friends who attended a certain church where they were made to drink indayela.

“She told us that they suspected the indayela to be the cause of the deaths and after realising what happened, she decided to leave for Newcastle that same night in fear of being arrested,” said the source when quizzed on how she met the deceased person. She told Eswatini News that the deceased mentioned that their troubles started when they arrived at their rented flat from the church where they were given the concoction to drink. The source narrated that the deceased said after a few hours of sleep, the three other women died instantly and she later discovered in the middle of the night.

Complained

She further told them that the three had complained of abdominal cramps before they went to bed but no one thought it was anything serious until they realised that the three were not responsive. According to the source, the ambulance came and picked up the critically sick liSwati to the nearest hospital, in Madadeni. She said her efforts of getting more information on what transpired in Durban and the name of the church leader who gave them the concoction failed as the deceased fell on the ground due to pains and cramps while they were still talking. The security personnel at one of the firms subsequently ringed an alarm and a Medico Legal ambulance arrived and took her to Madadeni Provincial Hospital.

However, Eswatini News has gathered that the cause of death for the four emaSwati remains a speculation as a post-mortem was not yet conducted. The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Happy Khanyi confirmed that a liSwati woman was confirmed dead upon arrival and was not admitted but was handed over to Madadeni Police. However, the CEO, referred all enquiries to the communications department in the hospital who also corroborated.

Investigations

Madadeni and Mlazi police both confirmed that there were investigations currently ongoing to ascertain the cause of death of the four women. SA police Provincial Communications Officer Colonel Gwala confirmed the tragic incidence but said all would be communicated to the media once investigations were completed. The names of the four women are known to this publication but cannot be disclosed as the police have not yet located and informed their next of kin. The police could not conduct a post-mortem as their families were still unknown.

The police further requested anyone who might have information or knew four women who went to Newcastle SA in search of job opportunities to contact them on +27343296641.

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