Dodgy ‘herbal blend’ leaves Pretoria man ‘standing there limp’

A 38-year-old man is the latest person to fall under the spell of an unknown “drug” called “herbal blend” in the west of Pretoria.

“The patient is just pale‚ standing there limp‚” Best Care paramedic Xander Loubser said on Thursday afternoon.

“He claims that he’s fine. He is compos mentis‚ meaning he knows what is happening around him.

“He admitted he bought it [herbal blend] today [Thursday] and smoked it this afternoon.”

This comes after 14 young adults and scholars were admitted to hospital earlier this week after smoking the same “drug”.

The substance has mainly been found in Pretoria West‚ Pretoria Gardens‚ Daspoort and Hercules. It is packaged inside a small black bag and looks like dagga.

Police spokesperson captain Augustina Selepe previously said: “It is alleged that they buy these products over the counter at tobacco shops‚ tuck shops and adult shops‚ then mix it with cigarette tobacco or roll their own smokes.”

In a video doing the rounds on social media‚ a pupil still dressed in uniform is seen lying on the ground‚ twisting and turning‚ denying he had smoked anything. He has a drip in his right arm while paramedics try to keep him calm.

“Haal die ding uit. Ek wil nie die ding in my hê nie. [Take this thing out. I don’t want this thing inside me]‚” the pupil screams.

“Ons kan nie‚ dis ’n drip en ons help jou. [We can’t‚ it’s a drip and we are helping you‚]” paramedics tell the boy.

In the video‚ he tells the paramedics his name‚ that he is 14-years-old‚ and from Danville in Pretoria. His legs are full of scratch marks. A bystander can be heard saying that the wounds look self-inflicted. The unknown drug had apparently been found on the learners.

“Boeta‚ as jy wil voel jy gooi op‚ gooi op. [If you feel like vomiting‚ vomit]‚” paramedics tell him.

“Ek wil nie. Dis die drip wat my seer maak. Ek het nie gef***** rook nie. [I don’t want to. It’s the drip that is hurting me. I didn’t f*cking smoke anything]‚” the boy tells paramedics.

The 14 people who initially victim to the drug have since been discharged from hospital.