THE INDEPENDENT (Johannesburg, S Africa) 14 February 07 'Crocodile battle lasted for four hours'
(Sapa) Two Mpumalanga men accused of illegally hunting and killing a crocodile in the Mlumati river near Komatipoort were expected to appear in the Tonga magistrate's court on Wednesday, the SABC reported.
The case against Alex Masinga and Simon Khoza was postponed in the Tonga magistrate's court in November last year after they were arrested by Tourism and Park officials.
Masinga alleged that he was fetching water from the river when the crocodile attacked him and grabbed his leg.
He said that he used a panga to hack the crocodile and free himself. However, the scratch marks on Masinga's body were reportedly not compatible with a crocodile attack.
A post mortem carried out on the crocodile discovered a snare around its neck and a net around its mouth, suggesting that it had been trapped.
"Eventually, I thrust the panga down the crocodile's throat. The battle lasted for four hours," he told reporters at the time.
The subsequent post mortem failed to find the panga inside the reptile, though a fishing net was found around the crocodile's jaws and a snare around its neck.
'Crocodile battle lasted for four hours'