Online Reporter
By Paul Pindani in Chinhoyi
THE Kariba community, still reeling from the recent tragedy in which several people lost their lives in a ferry capsize, is mourning again following the death of a resident attacked and trampled by an elephant over the weekend.
The incident occurred at the National Angling Union of Zimbabwe (NAUZ).
The deceased, 56-year-old Esward Jamu, was returning to the site after a shopping trip in Chalala when he encountered the elephant. The animal charged, attacking and trampling him.
Jamu was rushed to the Nyamhunga Clinic before being transferred to Kariba district hospital due to the severity of his injuries.
Despite the medical intervention, he succumbed to his wounds shortly after.
This latest fatality has reignited local concerns over the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the Kariba area, where encounters between residents and wild animals remain a constant threat to human life.
The tragedy follows another harrowing encounter just two weeks ago, when Ben Siabeza, a worker at the Nyanyana Fishing Cooperative, narrowly escaped death after being attacked by a hippopotamus.
The attack occurred near the Econet Bridge as Siabeza was walking home to Nyamhunga 3 after a ZAOGA church meeting that finished at 8pm.
While other congregants travelled in groups, Siabeza was walking alone.
“I decided to walk faster to get home early, unaware that a hippo was hiding in the thick bushes beside the road,”
Siabeza told H-Metro, that the hippo suddenly charged at him.
“I ran as fast as I could, trying to reach the nearby power lines for safety.”
As he sprinted, other fellow church mates scattered in different directions.
The hippo caught up to Siabeza before he could find shelter, striking him from behind and throwing him into a thorny thicket.
“I was lucky because the thick brush concealed me, and the hippo couldn’t find me,” he recalled.
Siabeza, who lost consciousness for about 15 minutes, remembers faintly hearing people nearby.
“A group of young men were searching for me with torches. I managed to shout, and despite my body feeling numb, I waved my hand from the thorns to guide them.”
Rescuers pulled Siabeza to safety, discovering that he had remarkably survived with only superficial scratches and a torn pair of jeans.
“If I had fallen into a ditch instead of those thorny bushes, the hippo might have killed me. I believe I was very lucky.”
