Fisherman's body still not recovered, but family remain hopeful

More than a month has passed since Fhulufhuwani Munzhelele from Tshifudi Gota outside Thohoyandou was attacked and presumably killed by a crocodile, and his body has still not been recovered.

The 24-year-old fisherman had been fishing in the Luvuvhu River with friends on 23 February this year when, according to eyewitnesses, he was caught and dragged under water by a crocodile. The community and police divers searched for days but without success.

To add to the tragedy, one of the locals, Thompho Nemushungwa (35), drowned in the same river only a day later while searching for Munzhelele’s body. Nemushungwa’s body, however, was recovered on 25 February, while Munzhelele’s still remains unfound.

The two incidents sent shockwaves through the community, and Munzhelele’s family members have been in a state of despair. The deceased man’s mother, Joyce Muthomi, is devastated by the situation. “How does a mother have peace of mind knowing that a part of her child’s body is still somewhere in the water? It is painful that I could not even say goodbye to him. I stay at another village and was visiting him the same day the tragedy happened. I slept at the river for two days, hoping his body would be found. I do not know how to move on with my life,” she said.

Muthomi said the family started preparing for the funeral after the tragedy, but everything had to be put on hold as his body could not be found. “Our hearts are torn apart as a family. The search is still on but each day we pray that they find him. We need closure in this matter, and this will not happen until his body is found and we can give him a decent funeral. Even if it is only his bones because then at least we can bury him,” she said.

The local traditional leader, Collen Mashau, also expressed his sadness. “This is the most difficult time our community has ever faced. We are trying our best and each family has contributed a certain amount to help ease the pain Munzhelele’s family is going through. We just hope that the search, even though now on a smaller scale, will bear fruit and his body be found, so it can be given a decent funeral,” he said.

News - Date: 31 March 2022

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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