Crocodile Incident

Along the Zambezi and other Zimbabwe rivers, the conflict between tribal communities and crocodiles has been ongoing for centuries. (Author's photo collection).

On a recent Zimbabwe online newsfeed I read of another incident in the country's ongoing human wildlife conflict. A courageous husband from a tribal area east of Hwange Colliery town, saved his wife from a determined crocodile attack. The crocodile has been terrorising villagers in the Msuna-Kanjeza area for some time, and the latest attack occurred on a Tuesday evening. Virginia Nyoni (45) was collecting water from the Zambezi River, which, due to the lack of a borehole, is the only water source for the community.

After hearing her desperate screams from about 300 metres away, Oliver Nyoni, the woman’s husband immediately ran to his wife’s aid after the reptile, which had obviously been lying in wait, lunged and clamped its jaws on her right thigh before dragging her into the water. Without giving any though to his own safety, Nyoni’s selfless act of bravery saved his wife of 12 years. In his own words, “I got into the water, going straight towards the crocodile as it kept dragging my wife to the deeper end of the river. When I got there, I got hold of her while punching the reptile on its nose with my fists. After about five punches, it let go, opening its mouth, and that is when my wife broke free,”

He then managed to drag his wife approximately 30 metres away from the river’s edge, while at the same time shouting for assistance from other villagers. And then, to his utter dismay, the crocodile, no doubt determined not to lose its recently caught prey, emerged from the water and rushed towards them, intent on seeing its deadly attack through. Oliver Nyoni adds, “At that moment, I was in a state which I still don’t understand. I used all and any means to scare off the crocodile, including throwing sand at it, and thank God Almighty, it retreated.”

Oliver Nyoni who after hearing his wife's anguished cries for help immediately entered the water and rescued her from the jaws of a crocodile (Internet source)

Ward 10 Councillor, Lethukuthula Ngwenya, said the incident has left the villagers utterly shocked, while also lamenting the lack of boreholes, which leaves them constantly exposed to the danger of such attacks. “The village has no borehole; their only water source is the Zambezi River, and this exposes them to the dangers of crocodile attacks. I am just glad that we didn’t lose her, but our people are not safe at all. If only we could have boreholes,” said Ngwenya.

Transferring Mrs Nyoni from Hwange to Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo cost about US$1000 which the Nyoni’s did not have. Fortunately, though, the Hwange Rural District Council availed them their ambulance for the 340km three-and-a-half-hour transfer.

Mrs Virginia Nyoni recovering in Bulawayo's Mpilo Hospital after her crocodile attack ordeal (Internet source).

Zimparks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the unfortunate attack, and highlighted it as one of many crocodile incidents across the country. He urged villagers to erect barriers around their water collection points to improve early detection of any crocodiles that might have crossed over. “We can confirm that there was an incident where a woman was attacked by a crocodile and was rushed to hospital. What is sad is that this is the third incident in that same area within a short period. We encourage communities that use domestic water from the river, which is infested with crocodiles, to make sure that they barricade the area where they do their laundry and other chores so that it will be clear to see if there is a crocodile. This is a really unfortunate incident; we wish the victim well and a quick recovery,” said Farawo.

According to Zimparks, crocodiles have killed 9 people and injured a further 12 across the nation since the start of the year (2025). During the same period, at least 44 cattle and 60 goats have also been lost in 49 reported instances of human-crocodile conflict.

Because crocodiles which predate on humans and livestock quickly fall into the Problem Animal category, they are normally dealt with on what is termed PAC (Problem Animal Control).

Zimbabwe's tribal communities living in close proximity to crocodile inhabited rivers and water seem to have a fatalistic approach to life. Both livestock and humans regularly fall prey to crocodiles. (Photo credit Craig Robinson).