GALEPHIRIME is meant to kill rats but disturbing events involving the deadly poisoning of people have led the community to condemn the product.
People want the “killer rat poison” off the streets and those caught selling it to be arrested.
“It should be a crime to sell this poison. If people are arrested for drugs and nyaope, why not Galephirime?” asked Tembisa resident Tintswalo Baloyi.
“We are losing people every day as they see it as a fast way to die,” said gogo Eliza Nkonyane.
Galephirime is sold by street vendors, in taxi ranks and in spaza shops. The call for the eradication of the poison followed the deaths of six children in the space of a week.
Three brothers died in Ratanda on 26 May after being given galephirime laced energy drink allegedly by their father. The dad tried to commit suicide after hearing his kids died but he didn’t succeed.
He is now in hospital under police guard and has been charged with their murder.
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Before the three brothers from Ratanda could even be buried, another three siblings died after eating meat laced with Galephirime in Ivory Park on 31 May.
A six-year-old boy allegedly got onto a chair, then got through burglar bars in a window and got hold of a plate of meat that was meant to poison rats on top of a tall fridge.
He shared the meat with his eight-year-old and one-year-old sisters. These calls follow those of Gauteng’s education MEC Panyaza Lesufi, after losing five pupils due to the rat poison.
Lesufi called on authorities to eradicate Galephirime and teach communities better ways to deal with rats. A street vendor said he’s been selling the poison for the past five years.
He said: “It’s sad that some people use the rat poison to kill themselves and others. If we are stopped from selling it, it will kill our business which we support our families with.”
