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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
A suspected border jumper was last Tuesday evening attacked and killed by a hippopotamus while using a foot path leading to the Limpopo River. The incident occurred some 500 metres on the eastern side on the border post. It is reported that the man believed to be between 30 and 40 years met his fate near the Beitbridge Town Council sewer ponds. His body was discovered by town council worker last Wednesday afternoon.

The badly wounded body was found suspend on the sewer ponds’ fence and it is believed he died while fleeing from the marauding hippo. Matabeleland South police spokesperson, Inspector Philisani Ndebele said police were still investigating the issue.

“We are treating the matter as sudden death since indication are that he was attacked and killed by wild animals. The area is a common spot for wild animals including hippopotamuses. We want to encourage people to always follow legal channels when travelling to any country to avoid unnecessary loss of lives especially from attacks by wild animals or criminals.”

The man’s body, he said, had been taken to Beitbridge District Hospital mortuary pending a post-mortem. Meanwhile, police, on the same day, received a report of a 44-year-old woman who collapsed and died at Dulivhadzimo Bus Terminus. Insp Ndebele said Memory Mutukwa, who was in the company of a relative, was en-route to seek medical attention in South Africa.

The incident comes a few months after three people were attacked and killed by a hippo under the New Limpopo River Bridge while attempting to skip the border to South Africa. Two other children, aged seven and nine years, were seriously injured during the attack and were taken to Musina Government Hospital. Early last year a five-year-old girl disappeared after being abandoned by a man who was smuggling her with 10 other people into the neighbouring country, when they were attacked by a hippo near the same bridge.