Dear tsuwm: I just thought of the explanation. All those hats and cloaks had just come back from the dry cleaners, and were so full of carbon tetrachloride fumes that poor Draco was gassed to death.

BBC didn't give specifics of new code proposed for Zimbabwe. But if you ever want to hear a draconian code, listen to Uniform Code of Military Justice read to Army recruits at frequent interval, or Navy's "Rocks and Shoals" and notice how often you hear the words: "Death, or such other penalty as a court-martial may direct".