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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter—
A normal outing turned into a nightmare for a Bulawayo man after he saw a rotten lizard floating in an opaque beer container from which he was drinking at a bar in Emganwini on Monday night. Amos Chinaka, 49, a security guard in Belmont, vomited and later fell ill after he nearly swallowed the dead lizard in the container, also known as Scud.

He told Chronicle yesterday that he was shocked and disappointed that Delta Beverages had failed to address the problem of contamination of their product.

“I was drinking Scud as usual at Prospect Bottle Store at around 4.30PM in Emganwini with my drinking mates. I usually don’t like sharing my beer so I had the whole container to myself. I could smell a different reek from the container but I ignored it,” said Chinaka.
“When I had almost finished the beer I felt that the container was still a bit heavy and I decided to offload all its contents into my mouth. I jumped in shock when I saw a dead lizard in my mouth as I held the container.”

Chinaka said he decided to have a closer look and immediately started vomiting when he discovered that it was indeed a dead and rotting lizard.

He said he confronted the barman after discovering the reptile, who apologised but indicated that the product was from Delta Beverages.
“I asked to see the manager and I was told to come back the next day as they had called a sales representative from Delta to come and explain. On Tuesday I went back to the bar and I was told to wait but the sales representative did not turn up until I had to rush to work.

“I used to read stories about funny objects being found in Scud containers and I thought people were making up stories. I have discovered it’s true that Delta is not doing its job and this is dangerous to our health,” said Chinaka.

He added: “Since that day, my stomach has been giving me problems and my eyes are continuously itching. I have not managed to seek medical attention because I don’t have the money. I therefore want Delta to take me to a doctor and pay all the expenses.”

A number of reports have been made to Delta, following the discovery of objects such as used condoms and sanitary pads, grass and rats, exposing the manufacturer’s apparent laxity on hygiene.

A Delta official who works in the section that is responsible for the quality of the manufacturer’s products confirmed receiving the report, but could not immediately comment on it.