The desire to enhance performance in bed turned fatal for
four men from Chiadzwa after they succumbed to a suspected aloe vera
concoction, popularly known as guchu.
Simbarashe Mutepfa
Disaster struck last Sunday after six men consumed the
concoction that was meant to detox the body and boost their performance in bed.
Two of the men, Munyaradzi Mutande (25) and Jacob Matambo
(27), are battling for life at Mutambara Mission Hospital where they were
admitted after the fatal experiment.
Authorities at the hospital said the two’s condition is
still critical.
National police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi,
confirmed the incident, which shocked the diamond-rich area, and raised serious
questions about the dangers of unregulated traditional medicines.
Commissioner Nyathi identified the victims as Joseph Myambo
(45), Robert Muchawaya (28), Brighton Gwenzi Chibhoso (27), and Kudakwashe
Marambire (44), who were pronounced dead on arrival at Chiadzwa Clinic.
All the four bodies are now at Victoria Chitepo Provincial
Hospital mortuary awaiting post mortem.
When The Manica Post visited the Chiadzwa area on Monday,
the atmosphere was grim, with an unsettling disbelief hanging over the
community.
Interviews with witnesses painted a gloomy picture of how
the seemingly harmless concoction triggered a fatal disaster that plunged the
whole village into deep mourning.
The Manica Post crew gathered from one of the deceased’s
friends, Mr Simbarashe Mutepfa, that the concoction was intended to prepare
Myambo for an encounter with his second wife, scheduled to visit him on Monday.
“Myambo told us that he wanted to cleanse his body and
enhance his performance ahead of his second’s wife visit. He even telephoned
her in our presence, telling her that he would be ready for her.
“That is when he prepared the concoction, which
unfortunately led to the unintended fatal consequences,” said Mr Mutepfa.
Mr Mutepfa said he also narrowly escaped death together
with Mr Obert Tavarwisa, adding that they were lucky to delay sipping the
concoction as they were on cooking duty.
“We would otherwise have perished with the other guys, but
the cooking duty saved us. We told them that we would take the concoction after
finishing preparing supper. The moment I was about to take it, our colleagues
who had taken it prior started complained of abdominal pains, writhing in
agony. At first, they were laughing as if they were high on drugs, but their
condition deteriorated quickly,” said Mr Mutepfa, visibly shaken.
Mr Mutepfa went on to describe how his colleagues’ pain
worsened, leading to the multiple deaths.
“They bitterly complained of weak joints. They struggled to
talk, saying it felt like there was a force pressing down on their cheek
bones,” he said.
Apart from Messrs Mutepfa and Tavarwisa, four other men
were supposed to drink the concoction, but were spared by time and chance.
Mr Tavarwisa said Myambo was the brains behind the
concoction, boasting that it would cleanse and detox the body, and enhance
performance in bed.
He said Myambo recently came to Chiadzwa, posing as a
herbalist with vast knowledge in men’s health, and it was unclear how he came
up with the inherently poisonous mixture.
“He arrived last week, masquerading as one of the best
herbalists in the country, capable of fixing erectile dysfunctional in men and
rekindle their potency.
“On the fateful day, he went out alone to collect the
ingredients. There was aloe vera and another plant I did not recognise, which
he chopped into pieces, boiled and drank to prove its safety,” said Mr
Tavarwisa.
The five other men took turns to drink the concoction,
unbeknown that they were having a sip of death.
“After about five minutes, the six started complaining of
abdominal and general body discomfort. Matambo, who had arrived late and saw
the other guys writhing in agony, also took the concoction, thinking the pain
was a sign of its effectiveness,” he said, adding that the pain worsened,
spreading panic among the group.
“Mutande quickly realised that something was wrong and
asked for water, which he drank in large amounts. He also induced himself to
vomit, which saved him and Matambo. But for Myambo, it was too late as he was
the first to drink, and by the time the others started reacting, his condition
had rapidly deteriorated,” said Mr Tavarwisa, adding that the late Muchawaya
reportedly refused to drink water despite being advised to do so. Manica Post
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