Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza fell critically ill and was hospitalised for over three months after he was poisoned while on duty.
Mabuza spoke to Sowetan for the first time about the cause of his illness on the sidelines of the ANC's lekgotla in Centurion.
In an impromptu interview, Mabuza explained that he let his guard down when he accepted food during his birthday celebrations in Bushbuckridge in August last year.
The Mpumalanga ANC chairman said he almost died and could neither walk nor stand.
"Even now I still have a problem, I cannot stand for a long time," Mabuza confided.
"I am still on heavy treatment that I do every day after work. The medication makes me free of pain."
The poisoning, he said, happened during his birthday celebrations during which he had organised bicycles, uniforms, blankets and food parcels for four schools in Bushbuckridge.
"There were snacks on the table. I had tea and later had lunch. After eating, my energy levels were down. My body was extra hot. Since that day my health deteriorated until I was admitted at Nelspruit Mediclinic."
At his request, he was moved to Milpark Hospital because he did not want too many people coming to visit him in his home province. "To my disappointment, Milpark could not find what was the problem."
He said he could neither eat nor move, and his weight had dropped from 78kg to 44kg.
He said he realised that he was dying, and told the doctor that he was going to leave.
It was not until he was transferred to Life Little Company of Mary Hospital in Pretoria that doctors made a diagnosis.
"That is where I got good doctors. They found a foreign bacteria in my body," he said.
"They could not define it but it was the cause of the collapse of my system."
His doctors in Pretoria then put him on treatment that slowly sucked the poison out of his body. It was then that he was able to stand up on his own.
Mabuza said an investigation was underway to establish who poisoned him.
Asked if he had any clue of who might have poisoned him, he replied that there was a layer of people in the ANC that was unhappy and want to be leaders.
He said recently he was accused of being a spy and was surprised that he was accused by a person who appointed him education MEC in Mpumalanga. Matthews Phosa, who was premier at the time, refused to comment saying the ANC was dealing with the spy matter.
'I was poisoned': Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza
Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza fell critically ill and was hospitalised for over three months after he was poisoned while on duty.
Mabuza spoke to Sowetan for the first time about the cause of his illness on the sidelines of the ANC's lekgotla in Centurion.
In an impromptu interview, Mabuza explained that he let his guard down when he accepted food during his birthday celebrations in Bushbuckridge in August last year.
The Mpumalanga ANC chairman said he almost died and could neither walk nor stand.
"Even now I still have a problem, I cannot stand for a long time," Mabuza confided.
"I am still on heavy treatment that I do every day after work. The medication makes me free of pain."
The poisoning, he said, happened during his birthday celebrations during which he had organised bicycles, uniforms, blankets and food parcels for four schools in Bushbuckridge.
"There were snacks on the table. I had tea and later had lunch. After eating, my energy levels were down. My body was extra hot. Since that day my health deteriorated until I was admitted at Nelspruit Mediclinic."
At his request, he was moved to Milpark Hospital because he did not want too many people coming to visit him in his home province. "To my disappointment, Milpark could not find what was the problem."
He said he could neither eat nor move, and his weight had dropped from 78kg to 44kg.
He said he realised that he was dying, and told the doctor that he was going to leave.
It was not until he was transferred to Life Little Company of Mary Hospital in Pretoria that doctors made a diagnosis.
"That is where I got good doctors. They found a foreign bacteria in my body," he said.
"They could not define it but it was the cause of the collapse of my system."
His doctors in Pretoria then put him on treatment that slowly sucked the poison out of his body. It was then that he was able to stand up on his own.
Mabuza said an investigation was underway to establish who poisoned him.
Asked if he had any clue of who might have poisoned him, he replied that there was a layer of people in the ANC that was unhappy and want to be leaders.
He said recently he was accused of being a spy and was surprised that he was accused by a person who appointed him education MEC in Mpumalanga. Matthews Phosa, who was premier at the time, refused to comment saying the ANC was dealing with the spy matter.
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