The untold horror story of Kariba monster, Macheni

NYARADZAI Sachidza (56) sits on the shores of Lake Kariba, holding her traditional fishing rod with determination and hope for a catch that will sustain her family before the full moon.

Full moon is a fish break observed at Lake Kariba once in a month for seven days to allow fish enough time to breed and reproduce.

For Sachidza, the full moon is just a period that she traditionally observes, but the pressure on her as the family breadwinner is taking a toll on her. She is one of the women living in fishing camps dotted along Lake Kariba with sad stories to chronicle.

Three years ago, she painfully lost her husband after he was attacked and killed by a giant and cunning crocodile locally known as Macheni in Gache-Gache.

Bizarrely, Macheni only devoured her late husband’s manhood, leaving the rest of the body intact, an act that has aroused many theories in Kariba villages and communities. The elusive giant crocodile has to date attacked and killed more than 20 people on the same spot, living families aghast and apprehensive about what the future holds.

The alligator’s name, Macheni, was coined after the community discovered that the monstrous reptilian killed fishermen by ripping off their manhood first.

Macheni is a lighter word for manhood in local vernacular.

The journey for Sachidza is full of trials and tribulations as her twoyear-old son was also attacked by a baboon, but was rescued by neighbours who fought tooth and nail to save the young and innocent soul.

She says each time she sees a crocodile, it reminds her of the day her husband fought a fearless battle with the giant carnivore, but unfortunately lost the war in the silent deep waters of one of the world’s largest manmade reservoirs.

Even though her husband died a painful death in the murky Lake Kariba waters, Sachidza has declared that she will not stop fishing.

“The experience of seeing my husband dying in the jaws of a monster remains a pain to me,” she recalled, fighting back tears.

“My husband was loving and caring, and my source of motivation, but had his last breath three years ago on a day that I will not forget. I lost him when I needed him most. My children are still young and need fatherly love just like others. All because of Macheni.”

NewsDay Weekender this week visited the graveyard where Sachidza’s husband, Innocent is buried next to his father, Joshua, another Lake Kariba hero who was attacked and killed by a hippo while fishing in a dinghy.

The graveyard narrates the sad story of a people who lost their lives to wildlife.

“This is the place where my loving husband is buried. The place is quiet as you can see. The other grave on your right is where my father-in-law is laid to rest. It is sad, but I will soldier on,” Sachidza said.

The ravaging effects of Macheni have paralysed the Gache-Gache fishing community with calls to the government to deal with the cannibal crocodile.

“I lost my husband to Macheni a decade ago and now my family is walloping in poverty because he was the breadwinner,” said Joyce Chimera (41), a widow to a fisherman who was also devoured by the cunning Macheni.

“We request the local leaders to conduct a cleansing ceremony because we are losing a lot of people to Macheni.”

Gache-Gache Fishing Camp chairperson Tichaona Manzungu recently urged the government, through the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), to deal with Macheni and assist victims of human-wildlife conflict.

“We urge the government to come up with initiatives that will be directed towards assisting victims of human-wildlife conflict,” Manzungu said.

“As community leaders we are very concerned by the rate at which we are losing relatives and friends at Gache-Gache to Macheni, the crocodile.

“Children have lost parents and guardians and this has become a menace not only in Gache-Gache, but the whole of Kariba.

“So far I can confirm we have lost more than 20 people since 2005 to Macheni and others are still missing till this day.”

The Kariba fishing community also appealed to Tourism deputy minister John Paradza during his recent visit to the mid-Zambezi valley communal areas to take heed to their plea to deal with menacing wildlife.

Paradza assured the community that their grievances will be looked into.

Kariba Anglers Association chairperson Abraham Mukono said the rate at which anglers were losing their lives was worrisome.

“As an association we are very worried about how people in these communities are losing their lives especially to crocodiles,” Mukono said.

Fishermen told NewsDay Weekender that ZimParks has failed to reign in Macheni because the fearsome reptile mysteriously disappears each time it attacks humans.

While ZimParks was, unfortunately, unreachable for their insight into Macheni, the organisation has in the past committed to help reduce human-wildlife conflicts in communities living with wildlife.

For Sachidza, the trauma of living with the reality of how her husband died from the jaws of Macheni still haunts her.