THE love of fishing nearly cost a 68-year-old Kariba man his life after he was attacked by a crocodile.
BY FELUNA NLEYA
Nathan Mutevera said he survived the crocodile attack last week after wrestling the reptile for more than 10 minutes in the murky waters of Kariba dam. Mutevera, who resides in Nyamhunga Township in the resort town, is recovering at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
He told Standardcommunity in an interview from his hospital bed that he was attacked by the estimated 4,5m long crocodile at around 9:30am while fishing. “My close shave with death was a result of my love for fishing,” Mutevera said.
“My colleague shouted a warning to me telling me a crocodile was coming in my direction. But when I did not immediately notice anything, I assumed the reptile had passed so I continued fishing.
“But after a while, I saw a hippopotamus and I actually got irritated with the animal for disturbing my fishing. It was then that I felt like I had been hit by something on my right leg. The crocodile had already caught me. That is when I started fighting it off while calling for help.
“My colleague came and held my hand and started hitting the reptile with a log.”
As the beast started pulling him underwater, his fishing partner started frantically poking its eyes until it let go of him.
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The friend then sought help from staff from Zim Parks who came and rushed him to a local clinic. He was subsequently transferred to Kariba Hospital before being moved to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.
“I thank God for being alive today and I thank my colleague who saved my life on that fateful day. My advice to fellow fishermen is to always be on the lookout for anything unusual around them.”
