Crocodile mauls Kazungula pupil
05 March, 2008

KASANE - A 12-year-old Kazungula Primary School boy was killed by a crocodile while swimming in the Chobe River on Saturday afternoon.

Kazungula Station Commander, Supt. Frankel Mohutsiwa said the boy was in the company of six others when he was attacked by the crocodile.

This incident happened near Kazungula boarder post just behind the department of Immigration residential houses, he said.

According to Mr Mohutsiwa the other boys were out of the water when the incident happened.

He was the only one in the river and the other boys were also preparing to join when he was attacked by the crocodile, he said.

A search party comprising members of the public, Botswana Defence Force and the police retrieved the body near the river bank with the left leg missing.

While searching for him we saw the crocodile splashing water near the river bank and we found the kid there, he said. Mr Mohutsiwa said the boy had severe injuries on his head.

We did not kill the crocodile but instead we reported it to the Wildlife department, said Mr Mohutsiwa.

The deceased body is still waiting for post mortem. appeal to parents to ensure that they know where their children are playing and every adult to take responsibility and chase children away from dangerous playing places, he said.

Meanwhile, a Kasane Magistrate Court last week fined two Chinese men P4 000 each or three months imprisonment for unlawful possession of elephant tusk and entering Botswana through an ungazetted point.

Mr Mohutsiwa said the men were arrested after a tip off from Zimbabwean police that they cut tusk from a dead elephant.

We confronted the men at Lesoma and we found the tusks, said Mr Mohutsiwa. The two men are Jian Hua Guo and Bian Hua Zahang of Shandong in BOPA