By Nqobile Tshili
The family of a 16-year-old boy whose death was attributed to excessive alcohol drinking by a post mortem report are insisting that he was killed and have sought a second postmortem.
The decomposing body of Prichard Ndlovu, a Form Three pupil at Founders High School in Bulawayo was found on Tuesday afternoon in a bushy area near Nketa High School in Nketa 8 suburb, a walking distance from his home.
He had been last seen alive on Saturday last week at about 9PM escaping from a teenage gang which wanted to assault him and his friends.
The boys were allegedly involved in gang violence at a sports bar in Nketa 6 where they were allegedly drinking alcohol.
Although Prichard’s family suspected foul play in his death, a post mortem report obtained at the United Bulawayo Hospitals last week on Wednesday said he died from excessive alcohol consumption.
However, the family said it was not satisfied with the report and with the assistance of Nkulumane MP Mr Kucaca Phulu, it decided to seek a second opinion.
The second postmortem report was conducted at Mpilo Central Hospital on Friday, before the boy was buried at a cemetery in Bulawayo on the following day.
The results are yet to be released.
Prichard’s mother who declined to be named yesterday insisted that her son was killed.
“We have sought a second post mortem because we don’t understand how someone who was assaulted, left with visible wounds and scars can be said to have died from excessive alcohol drinking. We are in contact with Mr Phulu who assisted us in seeking a second opinion on the cause of his death. We expect the results to be released during the week,” she said.
“We can’t trust a postmortem released by doctors that are on strike. Even myself, if I’m on strike it will reflect on my job execution. My other issue why are police relying only on a postmortem report? What if the doctor made a mistake? What happened to their initial observations where they also noted that he had bodily scars?”
She implored police to follow up the matter by interrogating those who are alleged to have been seen attacking him.
Mr Phulu said he intervened so that the Prichard’s family can get a satisfactory answer on the cause of their son’s death.
“After listening to the family’s concerns over their lack of confidence in the postmortem report we assisted them to do a second one. The results are expected on Wednesday,” said Mr Phulu.
He appealed to authorities to set up recreational centres for children to divert them from substance abuse.
Mr Phulu urged police to intensify campaigns to eradicate drugs and alcohol abuse among juveniles.
The MP said those who sell drugs and alcohol to minors must be arrested.
“Where there are sports bars we encourage police to conduct random spot checks to see if they are selling to children. They should also do patrols because some children may not necessarily be inside the bars but could use some people to buy beer for them. They should also conduct awareness campaigns educating particularly the youth about the dangers of alcohol,” said Mr Phulu. The Chronicle
