A 29 year old mother has made contact with Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) this morning (Tuesday) reporting that she had consumed a packet of maize chips believed to have been poisoned or laced with drugs.
Melissa Pillay, a stay at home mum informed Reaction Officers that she became ill after purchasing eight packets of Tamato & Chilli flavoured maize chips at R1 each from a tuckshop near her residence in Ethekweni – KZN this morning. The mother explained that the packets of chips were distributed to her three minor children as a lunchtime snack for school. She then consumed one (1) packet and became ill. Upon closer inspection she found a white substance (picture 2) in the packet. She immediately called the RUSA Operations Center. The primary school was immediately contacted & the packets of chips were removed from the childrens bag before being consumed.
When Reaction Officers requested to view the opened packet of chips, it was established that the tuckshop employee had taken the empty & a sealed packet from the mother. Reaction Officers interviewed the shopkeeper & were informed that the tuckshop was owned by an Ethiopian National who was not on the premises.
The employee denied selling the packets of chips to the mother.
