No poisoning in Manase ‘Ambuye Nditengeni’ beer incident
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Health authorities have confirmed that poisoning was not the cause of the tragic beer consumption incident that occurred in April at Manase, Blantyre, which led to the deaths of seven people.
A postmortem conducted by Pathologist Charles Dzamalala has ruled out poisoning as the cause of death for the seven men, who passed away on April 7 after consuming locally brewed alcohol, popularly known as Ambuye Nditengeni or Magagada, at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
The incident, which shocked the nation, highlighted concerns over the safety of consumable products sold in informal markets.
Following the incident, the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO), in collaboration with law enforcement, launched an investigation.
This led to the arrest of a man suspected of selling the alcohol linked to the fatalities.
Blantyre DHO spokesperson, Chrissy Banda, confirmed the findings of the pathology report.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, advocacy groups are urging authorities to implement stricter regulations on the liquor trade.
Youth Achievers for Development (YAD) Executive Director Jefferson Milanzi described the incident as a wake-up call, emphasizing the urgent need to regulate the sale of alcohol to prevent similar tragedies.
Similarly, the Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) has called on the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to intensify testing of local alcoholic beverages to ensure they meet safety standards.
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