A funeral at Mpheni Hamakhakhi turned into an even more traumatic event when 16 mourners had to be rushed to Elim Hospital for suspected food poisoning. It is believed they drank cooldrink bought from a nearby spaza shop that may have been contaminated.

The Rakvo family buried their three-year-old son at the local cemetery on Tuesday, 4 March. The funeral was arranged by Munakisi Funeral Granite and Tombstone. During the ceremony, mourners were given cooldrinks, water, and juice. Soon after the proceedings began, some complained of severe headaches and stomach pains.

Family spokesperson Mpho Rakvo confirmed that 16 people were taken to Elim Hospital for treatment, and three were admitted.

One of the affected family members said she developed stomach pains soon after drinking the cooldrink. She described the pain as unbearable. “We are still concerned as we do not know exactly what happened,” she said. “I thought I was going to die. I cannot understand why this happened, but someone will have to account for it. Although we received treatment, we are still suffering.”

She cautioned against jumping to conclusions. “We reported the matter to local health inspectors, who took samples of the cooldrinks. We will await their feedback and take it from there,” she said.

Vhembe District Municipality's health department manager, Michael Mukwevho, said they had visited the family and the funeral-parlour owner after the incident was reported. Samples of the cooldrinks were taken and sent to a laboratory.

Mukwevho said the funeral parlour owner told them he had bought the cooldrink from a spaza shop in Hamashau Thenga. The shop owner was questioned and provided video footage showing the cooldrinks were still wrapped in their packages when sold.

Munakisi Funeral Granite and Tombstone manager Trency Mufamadi apologised to the family. She confirmed that they had bought the cooldrink from a local spaza shop.

“When we were informed that mourners were feeling sick, we took them to Elim Hospital,” she said. “Six more people later complained of feeling unwell, and we sent them to a doctor at our expense.”

Mufamadi added that after the incident, she had called the child’s father to find out what had happened and said they were still planning to visit the family.