Mpumalanga man killed by croc weeks after Limpopo attack

An elderly man who went to fetch water from the Sabie River in Belfast Trust, near the Paul Kruger Gate of the Kruger National Park, was allegedly killed by a crocodile yesterday. Kwaitos Mkansi, believed to be in his mid-60s, reportedly took water containers to the river around midday yesterday after the village had been without water for several days,reportsMpumalanga News. The water containers and the victim’s bag were found on the banks of the river.

Concerned family members went to look for him when he did not return home. At the riverbank, they found his water containers, a plastic bag and his sandals. Suspecting that he had been attacked by a crocodile, they alerted community members who rushed to the scene to assist in the search.

“We saw a brown wallet floating in the middle of the river. We used a log to pull it closer, and the family confirmed it belonged to Mkansi,” says Belfast Trust community leader Xibutana Nkuna. He adds that the police were contacted.

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“The police informed us that their divers were attending to another incident at Driekoppies dam in Nkomazi and that it might take time for them to arrive. We then saw a crocodile holding a man by his arm and tried to scare it away in the hope that it would release him,” Nkuna says. “Fearing the delay, some community members entered the water, despite having seen the crocodile.

They managed to drive it away and retrieve Mkansi, but he was motionless. His arm appeared fractured, and there were no other visible injuries,” he says. Police and paramedics later arrived, and Mkansi was declared dead.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened. Ina separate incident reported by Letaba Herald, Majozi Freddy Mundlovu from Limpopo went to the Selati River, allegedly to bathe, on February 13, when he was attacked by a crocodile. While his family says the area has been without water for months, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality spokesperson Jonas Mahesu has denied that the deceased was at the river to bathe, claiming instead that he was fishing.

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