PHALABORWA – A 58-year-old man from Mapikiri in Makhushane has died following a crocodile attack at the Selati River, with his grieving family blaming the ongoing water crisis in the area that forces residents to rely on the river.

Majozi Freddy Mundlovu was attacked on February 13, at around 08:00. He sustained severe injuries and was rushed to Maphutha Malatji Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. He was laid to rest at his home in Mapikiri on February 21.

According to Kaizer Mukansi, who helped rescue Mundlovu, the scene was traumatic.

“I received a call that a man was attacked by a crocodile. When I arrived, people were scared, and no one wanted to go near the water. I managed to rescue the man with Cobby Malungane, who is also a community member,” said Mukansi.

He explained that the crocodile had gripped Mundlovu’s right hand.

“I pushed the object into its mouth, and it released him, but it then grabbed his leg. I pushed it again until it finally let go. We carried him out of the water, and the ambulance took him.”

Mukansi added that the late Mundlovu had asked him to visit him in the hospital the following day. “He insisted that I should come and see him on Saturday, not knowing that it was the last day I would see him alive,” he said.

The deceased’s younger brother, Ben Mundlovu, said his brother had gone to the river to bathe, as he had done for months due to a lack of water supply in the village. “If there was water, he was not going to die,” he said.

He claimed that Mapikiri and the surrounding areas have been without running water for more than two months, forcing residents to bathe, wash clothes, and even fetch drinking water from the Selati River.

Mundlovu stated that many residents cannot afford to buy water due to high unemployment. “My brother was not working and could not afford to buy water. They claim to be distributing water through tankers, but some areas do not receive it. We cannot even trust that water for consumption, and we do not know where it is collected.”

He further alleged that water only started running in their area the evening after his brother’s burial, following complaints from community members at the funeral, and that it lasted only one day.

“This shows that they are doing this intentionally. Even on the day my brother was attacked, some parts of the area had water for a few hours while others did not. Now we do not have water again. When people complain, water starts running. The problem is with our municipality. They are the ones closing the water,” he said.

Residents have also alleged that water tanker services are linked to tender businesses benefitting certain municipal officials.

However, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality spokesperson Jonas Mahesu denied claims that Mundlovu had gone to the river to bathe. He said the deceased had gone fishing.

Mahesu confirmed that some communities have been without water for over two months, but stated that water tankers had been dispatched to affected wards. “All our wards are getting water tankers. It might happen that some areas do not receive water at certain times, but tankers are moving around,” he said.