Croc attacks leave communities in fear

A surge in crocodile attacks was observed in Vhembe during the past festive season. Within the span of one week, at least three incidents of crocodile attacks were recorded in the area.

In one such incident, a baptism performed in the crocodile-infested Luvuvhu River ended in tragedy when a crocodile attacked a 15-year-old girl from Tshakhuma Maguvhuni during the ritual. The incident, which shocked the village of Mahematshena in Dzwerani, occurred on Saturday, 6 January, at around 06:00 in the morning.

The information available to Limpopo Mirror reveals that the girl, identified as Violet Managa, a Grade 11 learner at Maswie Secondary School in Tshakhuma, was among a group of eight people who, along with their pastor, went to the river for a baptism. The group belonged to an African Zionist church in Dzananwa, Tshakhuma.

According to Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi, the girl and five others entered the water, while the remaining three stayed on the riverbank. He explained that, while the group was in the water, the crocodile snatched the girl and disappeared with her underwater. “The group alerted the police, and the water wing rescue team was dispatched to the scene. The girl’s body was rescued from the jaws of the crocodile, but she was already dead. When the body was retrieved, it had injuries on the right thigh and scratches on the left thigh and face,” he said.

An inquest docket was opened. “We are urging all our communities not to frequent rivers and dams as these waters are not safe. The risk of being attacked by crocodiles and other dangerous creatures is very high due to the recent heavy rains’ causing water levels to rise,” Dathi emphasised.

Mr Osly Nyamande, from the local Tshakhuma civic, said that these recent incidents of crocodile attacks had shocked the village. “Apart from the Mahematshena incident, where we lost one of our own, we had another shocking incident at Tshitavhadulu, where two children were also attacked by a crocodile while swimming in the Lutanandwa River that same week. This is very sad. We are devastated. Our plea to the community is to avoid the rivers and dams at all costs over this period for your own safety,” he urged.

Date:12 January 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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