Pubdate: Mon, 24 May 2004
Source: Dispatch (South Africa)
Copyright: 2004 Dispatch.
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.co.za/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2942

INQUEST INTO FASSIE DEATH

JOHANNESBURG - An inquest has been launched into the death of Brenda Fassie 
after evidence that the crack cocaine she used was laced with rat poison, 
the Sunday Times reported.

Preliminary postmortem results show the singer died of a drug overdose, but 
the newspaper said Peter Snyman, Fassie's manager, had evidence of the 
drugs having been tampered with.

In a statement yesterday, however, Snyman denied saying Fassie had taken 
drugs the night before she was taken to hospital, or that the drugs had 
been tampered with.

"What we did discuss (with Sunday Times reporters) was that drug dealers 
sometimes used the types of techniques described in the (newspaper) piece," 
said Snyman. Drug dealers are known to add harmful substances to their 
merchandise to increase their bulk, and the dealers' profit.

Snyman and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a friend of Fassie, reportedly wanted 
police to question a young woman - not her lover, Gloria Chaka - who 
visited Fassie at her home in Sandton on April 25.

The next morning Fassie had an asthma attack and was rushed to the 
Sunninghill Clinic in Johannesburg.

Fassie lapsed into a coma from which she never recovered, and died on May 9 
after her life support machines were turned off.

Snyman denied discussing with Madikizela- Mandela the matter of the police 
questioning anybody.

"What I did say was we would like to speak to the person who was with her 
the night before she died, to shed some light on what happened."

A drug dealer visited Fassie - who had been in drug rehabilitation clinics 
30 times - while she was in hospital, the newspaper said.

Professor Hendrik Scholtz, the pathologist who conducted the postmortem on 
Fassie, said his final results would be forwarded to the inquest magistrate 
within two weeks, the Sunday Times reported.

Snyman said he had not seen any postmortem report. "To the best of my 
knowledge, no one, not even the family, has seen the report."

l A funeral service for Fassie was held at the Langa Stadium near Cape Town 
on Saturday.

President Thabo Mbeki addressed the mourners, saying South Africans had a 
responsibility to help those addicted to drugs.

Nine people were injured when the crowd surged into the VIP area where 
Fassie's body lay in a gold-coloured coffin. - Sapa
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart