By: Annakleta Haikera
The once life-giving Kavango River in the Mukwe Constituency has turned into a zone of death, with four people killed in just three months and several others injured as crocodile attacks intensified between September and November in the Kavango East Region.
According to a report obtained by The Villager, the most prone villages are Kamutjonga, Thipanana, and Shadikongoro.
Among the victims were Patrick Mayira Nore (72), 9-month-old Bathlomeus Likando, Justina Dishaka (9), and Ottilia Mbathera (47), all attacked and killed by crocodiles while performing everyday activities such as fetching water, bathing, or simply being near the river.
As the death toll rises, residents say the situation has spiralled out of control, leaving communities traumatised and desperate for action.
David Muronga, a resident at Thipanana village, said “we are no longer safe; our children, our elders, and even our animals are being taken.”
At Kamutjonga, residents described the river as a silent predator.
“A crocodile took a 9-month-old baby from its mother’s arms and a week later, a 9-year-old girl died in the same stretch of water. This is not just tragedy, this is terror,” Shikusho said.
Another villager, Aron Mundanya, said their livestock were also being targeted.
“We are losing goats, cattle, even dogs. These crocodiles are attacking everything that moves. We cannot fish, fetch water or live,” Mundanya lamented.
Recent attacks have also sparked renewed anger. The latest victim, a 47-year-old woman, was attacked while collecting water. Just weeks before, a 72-year-old man was killed in similar circumstances.
The community now describes the riverbanks as “forbidden places” and warns children not to go anywhere near the water.
“Our life depends on this river, yet this river is killing us,” added a Thipanana resident.
Damian Maghambayi, Mukwe Constituency councillor, narrated to The Villager that there are boreholes installed in some areas such as Thipanana, and indicated that his office, together with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) and that of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, would revert on Monday with solutions moving forward.
Maghambayi says the community’s fear is justified, and government intervention will be visible.
The outgong councillor also reiterated that water scarcity remains the region’s biggest challenge, driving human-wildlife conflict and costing lives as residents collect water from the river.
He called on the governor and chief regional officer to continue pushing for long-term solutions, including the planned Rundu water treatment plant, which emerged from the council’s benchmarking study in the Zambezi Region.
“The deaths we are witnessing are painful and unacceptable. Four lives in three months is a crisis,” he stated.
Also speaking to The Villager, MEFT spokesperson Ndeshipanda Hamunyela confirmed that there is a rise in attacks and said rapid-response teams have been deployed to mitigate more crocodile attacks.
“The Kavango River is vast, and managing crocodile populations is extremely challenging. We encourage residents to immediately report aggressive crocodiles; our teams are responding,” she noted, adding that two crocodiles were put down at Kamutjonga village as a means of said response.
The ministry also urged villagers to avoid risky points along the river and use designated water collection areas, advice residents say is difficult to follow due to limited safe access.
Mukwe continues to mourn the four lives lost, as fear grips families who rely on the river for water, fishing, and daily survival. With crocodiles now attacking both humans and animals, residents say they are running out of options.
Until effective long-term solutions are implemented, the Kavango River, the lifeline of surrounding communities, remains with a threat lurking beneath its waters.
