WHAT was supposed to be a quiet and relaxing day out fishing along Runde River turned into a real-life nightmare for Maurina Msisinyana (31) sometime last year.
For years, she had admired women from her village in
Chipinda, Chiredzi South, who had mastered the art of fishing in the mighty
Runde river, which meanders along the borders of their village.
On April 8, 2020, she took along her three sons Silent,
Paradise and Gideon then aged 11, seven, two respectively and her
sister-in-law, Beauty Ingwani, to trawl for relish along the river. Being a
novice, Beauty was to be her tutor on that fateful day; a Wednesday that was to
forever change her life.
To sidestep any distractions while she went about her
fishing, she had placed two-year-old Gideon and his seven-year-old brother
Paradise under an umbrella along the shores of the river. Maurina, Beauty, and
Silent, the eldest son, then went about trawling for a catch.
Little did they know a killer reptile was lurking in the
waters, waiting to pounce on the weakest among them.
After hours of toiling, with no luck, the trio called it
quits. As they were packing up, a large crocodile pounced and whisked Gideon
from the shore and swiftly sled back into the river.
The crocodile had also seized the umbrella. “I was a few
meters behind Beauty, when I heard her screaming that Gideon had been taken,”
Maurina recalled.
“I ran towards her and my other sons.” They then noticed
the umbrella slowly disappearing into the water. Immediately, I jumped into the
water, grabbed the umbrella, which was stopping the crocodile from locking its
jaws. That is when I saw Gideon’s little body inside the crocodile’s mouth.
“I realised that if I pulled my baby out, his head would be
split into two.” She quickly armed herself with a stick, that she used to poke
the predator and pounded it with her bare fists.
The crocodile relented and released Gideon.
At that moment the predator flew back into the water,
causing a huge splash that drenched Maurina’s face, apparently with the
intention of distracting her. The predator had found a new victim. The
crocodile then latched on to Maurina’s hands and tried to drag her into the
water. She refused to yield and fought
back.
On realising that it was fighting a losing battle, the predator
disappeared into the water.
While she was in that state of shock, she immediately
realised that Gideon was still missing. She frantically dived into the water
where she found Gideon’s seemingly lifeless body lying prostrate on the
riverbed.
“I carried him back to the shore,” she continued. He was
unconscious and fellow villagers had begun gathering.
“He had a very weak pulse. People who were around helped me
to find transport to the nearest clinic.” Gideon had sustained a deep cut on
his left eye and nose.
In recognition of this heroic act, last month, President
Mnangagwa awarded Maurina the Silver Cross of Zimbabwe National Heroic Award
during the Heroes’ Day celebrations.
This was for her selfless bravery through wrestling a
deadly predator to save her child from the jaws of certain death.
She was recognised among other luminaries that include
Nehanda Nyakasikana, Queen Lozikeyi Dlolo, Sekuru Kaguvi and Josiah Tongogara
among other heroes who received national honours. Maurina, however, remains
grounded and believes that any other mother would have done the same for their
child. “What I did can be done by any parent and is being done every day,” she
said.
“You will always have the strength to fight for what you
love. Parents wrestle predators of various forms and shapes every day.”
She added: “When I was told about the medal, I was
surprised but grateful all the same. Winning against such predators is the best
form of a medal anyone can ever have.” Now aged three, Gideon has scars- a
permanent reminder of his mother’s love.
“When I was contacted by the authorities, I was in South
Africa where my husband works so I could not come in person,” she added.
“But my parents stood in for me.I am extremely thankful for
the recognition by President Mnangagwa.”
Incidents of human-wildlife conflict are on the increase,
especially in settlements that share borders with game reserves. Sunday Mail
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