Vodka bonanza turns tummies sour, ends in fisticuffs

Quinten Indongo heard that a truck carrying booze had crashed and caught fire outside Otavi and, like several others, made his way to the scene, where cans of Exo Vodka Energy Mix had suddenly become available to anyone willing to collect them from the stricken vehicle.

What appeared to be an unexpected roadside windfall soon developed into something else entirely after Indongo and his friends drank some of the recovered vodka, began feeling sick and joined other residents making their way to the Otavi Health Centre for treatment.

“I started feeling nauseous, just like some of my friends, and we rushed to the clinic,” Indongo told Namibian Sun on Wednesday.

By the time they arrived, the centre was already crowded with people seeking medical attention.

Indongo's encounter with the free alcohol was not the end of his troubles: a fight broke out among the group at the clinic, possibly because many were intoxicated.

He told Namibian Sun he was struck on the head with an object during the commotion and fell towards a fence, leaving him needing treatment for that injury on top of the nausea that had brought him there in the first place.

“With only one doctor attending to all the patients, it was difficult to get proper treatment. I only managed to get a bandage around my head,” he said.

The unusual sequence of events began at around 05:30 on Tuesday, when a truck transporting Exo Vodka Energy Mix reportedly developed an overheated bearing about 10 kilometres before Otavi on the road from Otjiwarongo, causing the trailer to catch fire.

The truck was reportedly travelling from Walvis Bay to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and although the driver escaped unharmed, some of the cargo survived sufficiently intact to attract residents who descended on the accident scene and began helping themselves to the free alcoholic drinks.

The Otavi Town Council subsequently confirmed that cans had been removed from the accident scene and warned against consuming, selling or distributing them.

Ready market

Exo Vodka Energy Mix is a ready-to-drink vodka and energy-drink product sold in 250ml cans, with trade records identifying an 18% alcohol version among products shipped into African markets.

The product is associated with Foodibev International, and available customs data show consignments of Exo Vodka Energy Mix originating from Poland, although records also show shipments associated with Spain and other European locations.

The exact manufacturing or export origin of the consignment involved in the Otavi accident has not been established. Without the truck's cargo manifest or shipping documentation, it would be premature to conclude that these particular cans originated in Poland.

What can be established, however, is that Exo Vodka Energy Mix is already sold in the DRC, including 18% and 22% versions available through a Kinshasa retailer.

Unfortunately, part of the cargo's planned journey from Walvis Bay to the Congolese market ended unexpectedly outside Otavi, and it took another considerably shorter route from the burnt truck into local stomachs and eventually to the town's health centre.

From truck fire to clinic

Food vendor Hendrina Shaanyenange, who operates outside the Otavi Health Centre, said several people suddenly arrived at the centre for treatment after drinking the cans of vodka. She witnessed the atmosphere around the facility becoming increasingly chaotic as fights broke out.

Despite the unhealthy mix of drinking, nausea and commotion, however, the episode did not result in the serious medical emergency that might have been feared from consuming products recovered from the overturned truck.

Otjiwarongo District Hospital head Shiwana Amesho confirmed that everyone who needed medical attention in connection with the incident received care at the Otavi Health Centre and was subsequently discharged without complications.

“There was no transfer to Otjiwarongo in that regard,” Amesho said.

Leave the recovered alcohol alone

The Otavi Town Council, meanwhile, issued a warning to residents not to consume, sell or distribute alcoholic products recovered from the truck, amid concern that cans exposed to the accident and fire could find their way into homes or be resold to unsuspecting consumers.

By the time of writing, there was no confirmed figure for how much alcohol was removed from the accident scene or how much of it may still be circulating after residents descended on the truck.

Police details surrounding the accident and subsequent events were not immediately available.