Husband fights crocodile to save wife
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
A brave husband from Hwange heroically saved his wife from a vicious crocodile that had been terrorising villagers in the Msuna-Kanjeza area. The attack occurred on Tuesday evening as Virginia Nyoni (45) was collecting water from the Zambezi River, their only source due to the lack of a borehole.
Her husband, Oliver Nyoni, hearing her desperate screams from 300 metres away, immediately ran to her aid as the reptile, believed to have been lying in wait, lunged and dragged her into the water by her right thigh.
Nyoni is receiving treatment at Hwange Colliery Hospital but will be transferred to Mpilo Central Hospital for specialist care. Nyoni’s selfless act of bravery saved his wife of 12 years without a thought for his safety.
“I got into the water, going straight towards the crocodile as it kept dragging my wife to the deeper end of the river. When I got there, I got hold of her while punching the reptile on its nose with my fists. After about five punches, it let go, opening its mouth, and that is when my wife broke free,” said Nyoni.
He then bravely pulled his wife approximately 30 metres away from the river’s edge, while shouting for assistance from other villagers. To his utter dismay, the crocodile, having tasted blood, emerged from the water and charged towards them, intent on completing its deadly attack.
“At that moment, I was in a state which I still don’t understand. I used all and any means to scare off the crocodile, including throwing sand at it, and thank God Almighty, it retreated,” said Nyoni.
Ward 10 Councillor, Lethukuthula Ngwenya, said that the incident has left the villagers utterly shocked, while also lamenting the lack of boreholes, which leaves them constantly exposed to the danger of such attacks.
“The village has no borehole; their only water source is the Zambezi River, and this exposes them to the dangers of crocodile attacks. I am just glad that we didn’t lose her, but our people are not safe at all. If only we could have boreholes,” said Ngwenya.
She visited the victim at Hwange Colliery Hospital yesterday, where the decision was made that she requires transfer to Bulawayo for specialist medical care.
“The transfer costs were about US$1 000, which the family did not have, but we managed to talk to the Hwange Rural District Council to avail their ambulance, so tomorrow (today), she will be transferred to Bulawayo,” said Ngwenya.
Zimparks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the unfortunate attack, highlighting it as one of many crocodile incidents across the country. He urged villagers to erect barriers around their water collection points to improve early detection of any crocodiles that might have crossed over.
“We can confirm that there was an incident where a woman was attacked by a crocodile and was rushed to hospital.
What is sad is that this is the third incident in that same area within a short period. We encourage communities that use domestic water from the river, which is infested with crocodiles, to make sure that they barricade the area where they do their laundry and other chores so that it will be clear to see if there is a crocodile. This is a really unfortunate incident; we wish the victim well and a quick recovery,” said Farawo.
According to Zimparks, crocodiles have tragically killed nine people and injured a further twelve across the nation since the start of the year. During the same period, at least 44 cattle and 60 goats were also lost in the 49 reported instances of human-crocodile conflict.
Nineteen of these cases occurred in the Central region, encompassing the Kwekwe River, Sebakwe River, and Munyati River areas. The Mid-Zambezi region, which includes Lake Kariba, the Angwa River, and the Hunyani River, recorded 14 cases. A further 16 cases were collectively reported in the Matopo, Harare, North-West Matabeleland, and South-East Lowveld regions.
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