Calvin Manika
A THIRTEEN year old Hwange boy is lucky to be alive after he courageously wrestled a crocodile that had attacked him while fishing at Kalope dam.
The boy from Dick village under Chief Nekatambe managed to escape after squeezing tight the nostrils of the crocodile that had bitten his right leg.
“It was around 4:30 pm when we went fishing at the dam with my friend. We had put traps for the cat fish (umlamba). I got in the dam assuming the trap had caught a fish, but instead there was a crocodile close to the trap,” narrated Craighton Dube on his bed at the Hwange Colliery Hospital.
Craighton said he wrestled with the huge reptile until he managed to squeeze the nostrils of the crocodile while he grasped for air.
“When I squeezed it tight the crocodile started to retreat, but I was now powerless. I struggled to swim to the bank with the crocodile following me slowly, getting ready to attack again. We started throwing stones on the vicious crocodile as we waited for my father,” said the boy.
Unfortunately, while the young boy managed to save his life, he could not save his leg which had to be amputated.
His family is now seeking financial assistance in paying for his medical expenses.
