Drown drama

 

July 11, 2008

Zululand OBSERVER

	Drown drama The bodies of Bongani Mthiyane and Mfaneseni Sithole were found by police divers at Lake Nhlabane on Tuesday afternoon Distraught family members N Mthiyane, T Malwane and N Mthiyane watch in dismay as police divers retrieve the bodies of two men at Lake Nhlabane Inspector NZ Dladla of the KwaMbonambi SAPS with a .303 rifle that was recovered at the bottom of the lake Dave Savides POLICE are investigating the possibility that two young men who drowned tragically at Lake Nhlabane on Sunday may have been hunting hippos. According to an eye witness some distance away on the shore, he heard screaming and saw the pair waving their arms as a hippo sank their makeshift boat. They disappeared under the water. The incident occurred late Sunday afternoon and angry locals said they tried in vain to get reaction from the SAPS at the KwaMbonambi Police Station. Only once they alerted Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife did they get acceptable response. but 'by then it was too late'. On Monday morning, members of the SAPS Water Wing bravely dived in the murky water despite the presence of hippos and crocodiles, without success. They returned on Tuesday and with the aid of electronic sounding equipment were able to locate the bodies of Bongani Mthiyane and Mfaneseni Sithole. They also recovered the boat, a .303 rifle with ammunition and two cell phones. 'We are investigating allegations made by a child that the men had shot a hippo and were following it when the attack occurred, but at this stage there is no confirmation,' said a senior police officer. He paid tribute to police divers Insp Jannie van der Westhuizen and Insp Louis Boshoff for their bravery in searching for the bodies of the victims in extremely dangerous conditions. Meanwhile, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Officer-in-Charge (North), Frans Mthembu has urged community members to refrain from dangerous and illegal poaching acts. 'People are not allowed to hunt and it is extremely dangerous to go into the river with a homemade boat that does not have the necessary safety equipment. 'If you confront a hippo, it will become aggressive and one must face the consequences. 'People have been prosecuted for hunting hippos in the past.'