Crocodile attack maims mother and daughter
A search for tswii (a local delicacy) in Thamalakane river turned bloody as a mother and her only daughter were attacked by a vicious crocodile that left them with serious injuries to their arms on Sunday morning.
The duo, Nkoketsang Monnawatsheko, 56, and daughter, Cecilia Mmonnawatsheko, 40, are currently recuperating at Nyangabgwe referral hospital in Francistown. According to their family member, Lebogang Mosenyi Nkoketsa’s arm has been amputated from the shoulder while Cecilia’s hand has been removed due to the irreparable damage to their limbs when crocodile crushed their bones and cut off big chunks of their flesh.
In an interview at their home in Disana ward, Mosenyi who is Cecilia’s live-in boyfriend and father of her three children stated that on Sunday morning, the women left him with the children when they went to the river to gather water Lilly roots (Tswii).
“They jumped into a combi right at our gate, but in just about an hour we received a call that they have been attacked by a crocodile. The caller said the crocodile has cut their arms and we were shocked,” explained Mosenyi.
Mosenyi says at the time he was with Nkoketsang’s visiting boyfriend. “The old man is the one who received the call. I heard him talking on the phone while I was outside. Suddenly he rushed outside, asked me if I had any money on me so we can catch a combi to the river. I asked why he wanted to go there and he said the women are said to have been attacked by a crocodile.”
Mosenyi says since they did not have money they had to rush to a neighbor who owns a car to help them, “He rushed us to the hospital where we waited for two hours before we could see them because when we arrived they were being attended to by doctors.”
Mosenyi who had an opportunity to talk to the women before they were transferred to Francistown says they told her they had not even collected a single root when the crocodile launched the attack.
“Cecilia says she went in first and when she put her hands into the water a sneaky crocodile caught her and pulled her into the deeper end. While other people who were there ran for help at a nearby drinking spot, her mother grabbed a knife and jumped into the water. She started stabbing it several times before it let go of her daughter’s hand,” Mosenyi explained.
Unfortunately, it had already cut off the hand and it grabbed the older woman’s arm and pulled her toward the deeper end. The daughter is said to have run for another knife and with the remaining hand she viciously stabbed the crocodile but it kept pulling the woman further.
As the two women kept screaming and fighting for survival, a young boy came along and started throwing stones at the reptile. “It appears the extra effort from the boy helped because the crocodile let go of the arm and sank into the water. We do not even know the boy as he is said to have been just a passerby and we really want to meet the boy who saved our relatives lives and thank him.”
The older woman’s sister, Tathego Monnawatsheko explained that for many years, her sister has been gathering tswii from the river which she sells at Maun’s bus and taxi rank, “That is how she makes a living. She has raised her only child and grandchildren through the proceeds from tswii.”
Tathego says she also goes into the river for tswii sometimes and now with the attack, she does not see herself going anywhere near the water any time soon.
Tswii is a common delicacy in Maun and the general North West region. It can be eaten either raw or cooked, usually, it is mixed with meat, chicken, or fish to enhance its rich flavor.
Mostly it is the woman who harvests this plant that has sustained many families in the region for many years, however, its harvest comes at risk because the gatherers say, to get the root, they usually have to go at least a meter deep in the river, which is at times infested by crocodiles and hippos.
