Man fights off crocodile in 6-hour battle

From George Maponga in Masvingo
May 19, 2009

A FORTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD man from Chibwedziva, Matibi 2 communal lands in Chikombedzi, had a six-hour tussle with a crocodile that had clamped his arm in its powerful jaws as he fished in Runde River last Thursday.

The heroic man, Hahlani Makondo of Mbaluta village, got away with his life while the crocodile had to contend with a chunk of his arm.

Hahlani managed to extricate himself from the jaws of death by forcing a log into the giant reptile’s mouth.

The crocodile then dived deep into the water with a chunk of flesh it had torn off his arm.

Hahlani was taken to Chikombedzi District Hospital, where he is receiving treatment.

His elder brother, Humane Makondo, yesterday said Hahlani was in a stable condition.

"He is currently recuperating in hospital after he lost his arm, but we are thankful that he is alive because normally he would have died under those circumstances.

"He was brave enough to fight back the crocodile despite the fact that it had grabbed one of his arms," said Humane.

By the time that other villagers finally arrived at the scene, Hahlani had already managed to crawl out of the water by himself.

Masvingo police could not be reached for comment on the incident yesterday.

Information gathered so far indicates that last Thursday, Hahlani went fishing alone along Runde River at around midday.

As time went on while he fished seated on the bank, he was suddenly attacked by the crocodile, which grabbed one of his arms, marking the start of what would turn out to be a six-hour life-and-death struggle.

Hahlani managed to reach out and grab a log that was in the water and forced it into the crocodile’s mouth.

The crocodile released its grip, but not before it had torn off a piece of his arm and swam away with it.

Fellow villagers found Hahlani bleeding profusely as he lay in the sand by the riverside and rushed him to hospital.

Cases of fishermen falling prey to crocodiles are rife in the Lowveld, which has the largest river density in Masvingo. As a result, people are advised to go fishing in groups so that they can assist each other in the event of crocodile attacks.

Bloody hell!

I thought our muggers were bad.....