A Dlamini family of five narrowly escaped death after the father allegedly attempted to force his wife and three children to drink a poisonous substance at his parental homestead in Makhwane, Kupheleni.
The disturbing incident is said to have involved a 31-year-old man who allegedly intended to kill himself together with his family. According to a source close to the matter, the man had been expressing dissatisfaction with his living conditions, where he stays with his wife, children, brother and mother.
The family reportedly resisted the attempt, leading to a struggle during which the poisonous substance was spilled before it could be consumed by the wife and children. The source said the man had already drunk the poison.
“He had been complaining that he was not happy at home and said he wanted to die together with his wife and children,” revealed the source.
The source further alleged that the man had been abusive towards his wife prior to the incident.
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It is reported that before drinking the poisonous substance, he allegedly wanted to stab and kill his wife after locking her inside the house to prevent her from going to work.
“One of the children raised the alarm by calling the grandmother, saying the father wanted to kill the mother. The grandmother rushed to the house and managed to rescue the wife,” said the source.
After the incident, the man reportedly went to a nearby pastor’s homestead. The source said he was already weak, started confessing that he wanted to die with his wife and children, and later collapsed to the ground. The pastor, together with community police Nhlanhla Shabangu, rushed him to Mbabane Government Hospital.
The man was admitted to the emergency unit, where he is currently receiving treatment. His family later discovered that he had already been admitted to hospital.
Shabangu is said to have reported the matter to Mbabane police after leaving the man at the hospital. However, according to the source, the police allegedly indicated that they could only attend to the matter if the man had died.
Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO), Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni, said the police were not aware of the incident at the time of publication. She confirmed that investigations would be instituted once the matter was officially reported and full details were provided.
