A 31-year-old man of Sennonnori ward in Maun, Omponye Dikeledi, is counting his blessings after narrowly escaping death in a terrifying crocodile attack while fishing in the Thamalakane River last Wednesday.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital this week, Dikeledi, who is nursing serious lacerations, shared his harrowing tale of survival.
“I was fishing alongside three other men in the river behind Maun Cresta Resort when I was unfortunately attacked,” explained Dikeledi, who is nursing a lacerated left thigh and a deep cut on his right leg.
“We held nets and we went in pairs because one person has to hold the other end of the net while the other holds the other end. We went in and managed to catch some fish and went out to the river bank to remove our catch from the net,” explained Dikeledi.
He said before they went back into the water, they had to stretch the net. “That was when I stepped into the water to give space for my partner to pull the net in the opposite direction. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain and I saw a crocodile holding on to my leg with its jaws.”
Shouting for help in panic, Dikeledi said he kicked furiously until the reptile released him and vanished into the depths. “It was big, judging by its head, but I cannot really tell how big it was because it all happened so fast. Even the person I was with did not see it because it was just a split second and it was gone,” explained Dikeledi.
Meanwhile, Maun Police Station Commander, Superintendent Joseph Lepodise, has cautioned the public to be wary of dangerous animals lurking in the Thamalakane River, which runs across the tourism village.
“The grass is tall, and therefore it is not easy to see danger from a distance. Again, animals such as hippos and crocodiles stay in this water channel and I therefore advise people to be extra cautious and avoid getting into water pools in the river as they are endangering their lives.”
Lepodise further advised, “There are many others who use footpaths to cross the river, but as we have seen, we had a long rainy season and the grass is very tall and thick. So, for safety measures, it is advisable to use available bridges to cross the river at the moment.”
