Crocodiles rip farmer apart


2011-02-23 22:34

Alta Snyman and Pauli van Wyk, Beeld

Kroondal – A Pretoria surgeon was mangled by his own crocodiles on Wednesday morning on the farm where he was born.

Dr Herbert Penzhom, 66, was busy fixing a water pipe which supplies one of the dams for the crocodiles .

The pressure of the water presumably made him lose his balance and he fell from the wall into the dam.

Sabata Mokgwabone, police spokesperson, said the crocodiles stormed at him and ripped him to shreds.

After a while the farm workers on the wall were able to coax the crocodiles away with pieces of meat.

News of Penzhom’s gruesome death spread like wildfire on Wednesday in the German community in Kroondal, near Rustenburg. It is common knowledge in the town that he spends Wednesdays with his crocodiles.

Expert

Marinda van Niekerk described her uncle as a great environmentalist who loved visiting game parks and was also a hunter.

He developed an interest in the reptiles some years ago, after a visit to a crocodile farm in Zimbabwe.

This eventually resulted in a crocodile farm on his half of the family farm.

“He was widely known as a crocodile expert and people called him from all over for information.”

Penzhorn leaves behind his wife, Riki, and his three children, Egon, Annalise and Clarissa, all in their twenties.

It was unclear how many crocodiles there were in the water.

Mokgwabone said the man's body was badly mutilated.

An inquest docket has been opened.