A five-year-old Seke girl was on Friday killed by a crocodile while crossing Nyatsime River in Chitungwiza.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
The crocodile reportedly pulled Ruvarashe Matingwina’s leg while her mother was holding her hand at a crossing place around sunset.
Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident yesterday.
“We are investigating a matter where a five-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile in Chitungwiza,” he said.
“We urge parents to make sure that children are safe, especially when they are using roads where they know there could be animals like crocodiles.”
According to witnesses, Ruvarashe and her mother were on their way home from Unit L in Chitungwiza where the mother operates a vending stall.
“She was in the company of her teenage daughter, the deceased girl and an infant who was strapped on her back,” said a woman from Unit L.
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“We just heard her shouting and calling for help just after sunset yesterday [Friday] but no one could help. A basket weaver who was looking for reeds is the one who spotted her remains this morning [yesterday].”
The woman said the crocodile could be responsible for the deaths of two men at the same spot in March and January this year.
“It is a very shallow place where you would never expect there could be crocodiles,” said the woman who requested anonymity.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said she had not yet received a report on the issue.
The incident comes just two months after another crocodile was sighted in Mukuvisi River near Harare’s Houghton Park.
ZPWMA is yet to account for the Houghton Park reptile.
