Govt Defends Hospital Amid Outcry Over Tatenda Pinjisi’s D€ath: “Pain Didn’t Kill Him”
Govt Defends Hospital Amid Outcry Over Tatenda Pinjisi’s D€ath: “Pain Didn’t Kill Him” – Following widespread backlash triggered by a viral video showing the late Sungura artist Tatenda Pinjisi pleading for painkillers from his hospital bed, the Zimbabwean government has stepped in to clarify the circumstances surrounding his tragic d£ath.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, 17 April, to counter the narrative that Pinjisi d¡ed due to a shortage of essential medication like Pain Eeze.
His response came after social media erupted in grief and anger over the harrowing footage, which many interpreted as a damning indictment of the country’s healthcare system.
In his detailed posts, Mangwana stressed that Pinjisi died from critical injuries sustained in a car crash near Norton on Friday, not due to a lack of medication.
The accident claimed the lives of three others on the spot, including two of Pinjisi’s bandmates and a female passenger. The musician succumbed to his injuries two days later, on Sunday, 13 April.
“Let’s be clear,” Mangwana wrote, “he wasn’t denied medication. Clinicians administered strong painkillers both intramuscularly and intravenously. Pain doesn’t k!ll. Fatal injuries do.”
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Challenged by online critics—one user directly accusing him of being insensitive—Mangwana stood by his remarks, stating that blaming a lack of Pain Eeze was medically inaccurate.
He even visited Gokwe District Hospital to inspect their pharmacy and later posted images of what he described as a well-stocked dispensary.
Additionally, Mangwana cast doubt on the authenticity of the video’s implications, suggesting Pinjisi’s pleas may have been the result of confusion or hallucinations caused by head trauma. “Patients with brain injuries can say things that don’t align with clinical realities,” he explained. “Doctors rely on their training, not viral videos, to guide treatment.”
