Chipinge, Checheche | In the drought-stricken Checheche area, local villagers have historically faced frequent crocodile attacks while searching for water.
Over recent years, the drought-prone remote region has seen numerous fatalities and injuries. Villagers’ urgent need for water for drinking, cooking, or bathing has sometimes cost them their lives.
Tonderai Ngwendu, involved in the Presidential Borehole Scheme (PBC) project in Mahatshi Village, Checheche, within Chipinge district, highlighted that villagers have endured relentless crocodile attacks at Save River while seeking potable water.
From 2020 to 2023, Ngwendu reported that villagers had to trek 4-12 kilometers over sun-baked sandy paths to Save River, where they faced the threat of crocodile attacks.
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“Villagers previously encountered frequent crocodile attacks while collecting water from Save River,” Ngwendu stated. “From 2020 to 2023, villagers were compelled to travel long distances to Save River for water, putting themselves at grave risk from crocodiles.”
The Presidential Borehole Scheme, led by Prevail Group International (PGI), which is responsible for drilling boreholes in remote and marginalized communities, has significantly improved the situation for residents of Matondo C, Mahatshi Village by offering a safer and cleaner water source.
Ngwendu recounted several tragic incidents involving villagers, including Shingai Kazende and Violet Kumbula, who were killed by crocodiles before the borehole was installed.
“Last year, Shingai Kazende was attacked and killed by a crocodile while collecting water at Save River in the evening. We searched all night and only found parts of his remains at dawn,” Ngwendu said. “Violet Kumbula was also attacked while bathing, with a crocodile severing her left leg and leaving the rest of her body floating. We later recovered her leg from the crocodile’s stomach with the help of Game Parks rangers.”
Ngwendu emphasized that the menace of crocodiles had caused significant loss of life until the recent installation of a borehole under the PBC, which now provides a safer and cleaner water source for locals.
He urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to consider adding more boreholes, particularly for villagers in Matondo B who still face long journeys to find water.
Laina Chitunguru, a local resident of Matondo C, shared her harrowing experience of surviving a crocodile attack on September 8, 2014. While fetching water, a crocodile bit her left arm and attempted to drag her into the water. Her 11-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old witnessed the ordeal.
“The crocodile bit off my hand, but I managed to escape, bleeding heavily until I collapsed on the riverbank. Villagers then carried me to the hospital while I was unconscious,” Chitunguru recounted.
Chitunguru expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for the Presidential Borehole Scheme, praising its positive impact on improving the lives of rural villagers.
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