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Local residents use a rowboat during the search for  the body.

Killer croc

 

A resident of Tshaulu Tshialwe outside Thohoyandou was attacked and killed by a crocodile in the Luvhuvhu River on Monday.

Information at this paper's disposal is that Mr Tinashe Hove (23), suspected to be from Zimbabwe, and his friends were coming from a hard day's work of making clay bricks when they decided to go and take a bath in the Luvuvhu. After bathing at the river, the friends decided to take a dip in the deep waters of the river.

Hove is said to have been the first to brave the water, while the friends were still sitting on some rocks in the water. That was when the friends saw the crocodile rushing to Hove at speed.

The friends allegedly threw stones at the crocodile, but the reptile grabbed Hove and submerged him three times, finally killing him. His friends sought help, but it took hours of searching by local community members with rowboats to retrieve Hove’s body.

This incident is said to be among the many at the same river where people drowned or were attacked by crocodiles. The attack on Hove has led to an uproar in the community, with many condemning fishing and swimming in the crocodile-infested waters.

Local resident Khathutshelo Matshona said he had heard about the incident at about 15:00 while on his way from church. "We used this boat and, after a long time, we finally found the body, but the crocodile was nowhere to be found. The body had bite wounds on the left shoulder, but no part of the body was missing.”

A community leader, Ms Confidence Matshona, said that they had warned residents on a number of occasions about the dangers of swimming and fishing in that river. "This is a daily topic here. We always warn our people against going to the river, but our warnings seem to be falling on deaf ears, as they always go there to wash and swim.

"We know it is hot and there is no water, but it is not safe at all for one to venture into the dangerous waters. We are still making an appeal for our people to desist from frequenting the rivers," she said. She added that many incidents of the same nature had been reported in the village and neighbouring villages. 

"Only last year, a man was attacked and killed by a crocodile not far from where the new incident took place. Many cattle have also been killed in the same river and this shows that it is not safe at all," she said.

Tshaulu police spokesperson W/O Tshilidzi Mphoshomali also condemned the frequenting of rivers by the local community. "We know it is hot out there and that the temptation to swim is very high, but please know that you are risking your life. It is not safe out there and the sooner we take precautions, the better and lives will be saved. Besides crocodiles, there are many other dangerous water animals, such as hippos, that could be a danger to people. Let us not venture into these waters," he said.

News - Date: 01 February 2016

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Khathutshelo (left) and Confidence Matshona with the rowboat that was used to search for the body of Tinashe Hove.

Khathutshelo Matshona, who helped search for the body of Tinashe, explains how they retrieved the body. He is standing at the spot where Tinashe and his friends were bathing before they decided to swim.

 

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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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