Man (48) dies in croc attack

Herald Reporter April 17, 2007

A 48-YEAR-OLD Masvingo man was yesterday attacked and killed by a crocodile while he was poaching fish in Mutirikwi Dam in Masvingo.

The incident occurred at around 1am and the remains of Tawanda Mukozha have not yet been found.

Police spokesperson Inspector Jessie Banda said Mukozha, who was in the company of his friend Refinos Mutumwa (34), went to Mutirikwi Dam at Simon Plot where they threw nets to catch fish.

Mukozha waded into the dam while Mutumwa remained on the banks.

While there, he was attacked by the crocodile which dragged him deep into the water.

Insp Banda said Mutumwa rushed to Mazare Shopping Centre and phoned the police. Police attended the scene but nothing was recovered.

Mutumwa was arrested and he is being charged with fishing without a permit under the Parks and Wildlife Act.

Kathi:

A 48 year old man wades into deep water at night in Zimbabwe and is taken by a croc. What this story tells me is that he was driven by desperation. At his age he could not have been ignorant of the dangers. Hunger must have driven him and his partner to such an enterprise. The crowning irony is the police handing out a ticket for fishing without a permit. It takes real "talent" for a government to turn a country that used to export food into a country where middle aged men engage in such a desperate enterprise.