A Mozambican man, News Mbanzi (42), is lucky to be alive after being viciously mauled by a hippo in Schoemanskloof on April 9. He is currently recovering in Rob Ferreira Hospital after undergoing surgery. The Lowvelder visited him to hear his remarkable survival story.

“I thank Jesus,” Mbanzi said about surviving the attack.

Lying in his hospital bed with limited mobility, Mbanzi explained what happened.

“I went fishing at a nearby river and heard a baby hippo squealing,” he explained.

The mother, acting to protect her calf, suddenly charged him.

“The hippo came storming towards me. I grabbed onto a nearby tree to try and escape,” he said. “It eventually pulled me into the water and bit me several times.”

After the attack, the animal disappeared, leaving Mbanzi severely injured.

“I thought I was going to die,” he added. In a desperate attempt to survive, he managed to limp away.

“I was in excruciating pain and covered in blood,” he said.

Also read: Hippo attack in Schoemanskloof leaves man seriously injured

He knew his only chance was to reach a road where he could get help. Miraculously, he made his way to the Sterkspruit gravel road, where a passing motorist stopped and transported him to the Viva filling station.

Jaco le Roux, the owner of the filling station, said Mbanzi was dropped off and left under a tree without any further assistance.

“One of the workers noticed him and alerted me. I called a state ambulance, but after more than an hour I contacted Emer-G-Med. They arrived within 30 minutes,” Le Roux said.

Martin Jeffrey of Emer-G-Med said that upon arrival it was evident that Mbanzi had lost a significant amount of blood as he was very pale.

Mbanzi sustained severe injuries to the left side of his body and his buttocks. He was stabilised at the scene and transported to hospital.

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His wounds have since been treated and stitched, but he has sustained a pelvic fracture that will require additional surgeries.

He faces a long road to recovery and will need additional physiotherapy to learn how to walk again.

Jeffrey laughingly asked him if he would ever go fishing again to which he responded, “No!”

He says he is still in a lot of pain but is thankful to be alive. Most of his family live in Mozambique, and his girlfriend is expected to travel to Mbombela to visit him.

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