By McGeorge Mbare
Beitbridge district’s Mutetengwe Community have been shaken after a 13 year old juvenile poisoned a portion of the Mtetengwe River at Tshambudzi pool risking over 300 homesteads and of thousands their livestock.
The daring juvenile, is alleged to have poured about 1.5 litre of a maize treatment pesticide up stream.
Villagers confirmed the death of fish downstream and a donkey alleged to have drunk the poisoned water.
The 13 year old boy was caught in action by two women who instantly reported the act to the acting village Siphiwe Muleya.
Speaking to Ziyah News, Acting village head Muleya ,stated that the young boy highlighted that he found the 1,5 liters of poison in a the river however after some investigation with the community members ,health workers and the police ,they found out that the poisons is likely to have come from his homestead.
“The young boy was questioned by Mr Tshinoni, but his statements were no linking up ,he claimed that he found the bottle downstream. I immediately called his mother informing her about the incident in order for her to come and join others to discuss the matter on Monday evening. On Tuesday early in the morning I went to the scene and I found dead fish. I called the health workers and the senior head Nelson Mohadi to immediately run to the river with the police, “ said acting village head Muleya.
The senior village head Mohadi also highlighted that they have notified the whole community to avoid using water from the river at the moment due to this incident.
“After receiving the news, we immediately notified community through whatsapp group and the ministry of health. We informed the community to immediately stop using water from the river nor eat fish from the river to avoid complications. We also told them to chase away domestic animals from drinking from the river,” senior village head Mohadi said.
The villagers are keen to stop animals from drinking water from the river following the death of a donkey and large number of fish from the Latenis side downstream.
Some members of the community who confessed to have eaten some of the poisoned fish confessed to experiencing stomach ache symptoms.
Government agencies including the Environmental Management Agency, Veterinary services and Environmental Health Technicians were have been on the ground to take samples from the dead donkey and fish and water body to establish if indeed the pesticides is the cause of death or there might actually be a bigger problem.