A 10-YEAR-OLD BOY ATTACKED BY CROCODILE AT A LOCAL DAM

Martinique village – The Acting Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Major General Jan Scheepers has once again urged community members to avoid by all means to swim or cross the waterbodies, such as river that might endanger their lives.

This is after, the Police were summoned to the scene, at Martinique village in Abbotspoort under Villa Nora policing area, on Tuesday, 06 February 2024, whereby a 10-year-old boy has disappeared in an crocodile infested river, while he was swimming with other young boys.

The boys alleged that they saw a crocodile snatching the victim. They then ran to the village and informed the elders. Community members were found gathered at the Phalala river.

Members of Provincial Search and Rescue Unit were activated to attend the scene. According to further reports, while they were on the search, a number of crocodiles were seen in the said river, and surprisingly, some of the community members were crossing the river. In the process, they had to apply their advanced techniques to ensure that the crocodiles move in order for them to proceed with the search. Unfortunately, the body of the boy was not found, but the search operation is still ongoing.

“Parents, please teach these children about the dangers of swimming in the rivers. We also discourage any other unsafe activities performed in the rivers because in most cases, our communities became the victims of aquatic animals,” said Major General Scheepers.

Communities are urged to avoid swimming in these rivers during the rain season. An incident also occurred in Burgersdorp few days back, outside Tzaneen where a child drowned whole swimming.

The search operation is still ongoing on the recent case where a Crocodile snatched a victim at Martinique village in Abbotspoort under Villa Nora policing area.