‘Son (12) sent by family member to poison us’

MBABANE – According to the family, the 12-year-old boy, who allegedly poisoned his parents, was allegedly sent by a family member to commit the act.

The couple, who have since recovered from the harmful substance they ingested, cited jealousy as the reason behind the plot to kill them.

They argued that they achieved many things in life, which the suspected family member failed to accomplish, but was intent on causing tension within the family.

The couple argued that the suspected family member stayed in South Africa (SA) for years and failed to achieve anything tangible.

The couple supposed that, since the family member came back from SA, there had been visible tension within the family.

Escaped

The couple, residing on the outskirts of Manzini, escaped death after the child poured the substance into their soft drink. It was said the boy was allegedly threatened with death should he fail to carry out the task.

The couple said the child had confessed to the poisoning act.

The incident happened on February 2, 2024. As a result, the couple sent their child to Juvenile Prison for reprimand.

The father of the child, who preferred to speak anonymously, told this publication that his 12-year-old son was doing Grade VI in one of the schools in Manzini.

The aggrieved parent said what saddened him the most was seeing the child being used as a mule in committing such an offence.

The parent stated that the child told them that he poured the poisonous substance in his drink when he was alone in the house.

He said he came back and tried to finish his cold drink and was later joined by his wife.

“As I drank, I did not think that someone might have put poison in my drink. However, things took another turn moments later, when I started feeling uncomfortable,” he said.

According to the man, he together with his wife, started developing a runny stomach, throwing up and visiting the toilet more frequently.

He said seeing that death was imminent, his grandmother was called to come and help.

“Our granny mixed a concoction, which helped us a lot to throw up the poison. That Friday became one of the worse moments of our lives,” he said.

The aggrieved parent further stated that he had to call paramedics the following day, to come through and help his wife, who was in a critical condition.

He wants the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, to find out who the person behind the alleged attempted murder was.

Information from the source was to the fact that the suspect had fled to SA.

He said he had to report the matter at Matsapha Police Station.

He alleged that the suspected family member fled after being made aware that the victims wanted justice to clear the child’s name from the current negative publicity.