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Third Woman Dies from Poison Brew

Home Archived Third Woman Dies from Poison Brew

By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Thirty-seven-year-old Sofia Geelbooi, who has been fighting for her life at the Katutura State Hospital after drinking a poisoned home brew, died over the weekend. Her death brings to three the number of those killed by the brew. Last week, four San-speaking women that took the poisonous brew on the Farm Finale in the Steinhausen Constituency in the Omaheke Region were rushed to the Gobabis hospital where two of them were later transferred to Windhoek. One died at each of the hospitals. Meanwhile, the sole survivor Martha Amses was released from the Gobabis State Hospital and was picked up by farm owner Gert Koekemoer over the weekend. The Councillor of the Steinhausen Constituency who is also the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Kilus Nguvauvaon said on Saturday the police in Gobabis transported two family members of the two women who died in the Katutura State Hospital for the results of the post mortem. The deceased have beeen identified as Anna Geelbooi and Kora Dam, who were workers at the farm. In the meantime, the deputy minister is expected to visit the farm tomorrow. It is believed the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Libertina Amathila will hold talks with the San people in the area today. This is not the first time that people have died from a homemade brew at the same farm. Six years ago, a similar incident happened and seven people died after drinking a brew mixed with swimming pool cleaning agent. The pathologist in Windhoek who conducted the autopsies has reportedly corroborated a police report that the seven victims, five women and two men, imbibed a brew laced with the swimming pool cleaner, apparently to give it an extra “kick”. Farm Finale is situated 170 km northeast of Gobabis.