Durban - AN AFTERNOON spent looking after his livestock took a sudden and dramatic turn that would change Bhini Khanyile’s life forever.
Recalling the day he was attacked by a leopard, and almost died, Khanyile said his only weapon was a knobkerrie, which was no match for the animal.
The resident of Ukhukho village, in Ulundi, was speaking to the Daily News shortly after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released her report last week into her probe of incidents of attacks by predators escaping from the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve.
Madonsela laid the blame for the deaths of villagers from Ukhukho, the maiming of others and the killing of their livestock squarely at the door of the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
She said the department and Ezemvelo were both responsible by allowing stray wild animals to escape from the reserve because of poor fencing.
In her report titled “Ubuntu” (Humility), Madonsela said more than 100 people had lost their livestock.
Some villagers had lost limbs, while a few had died after being mauled by lions and leopards.
Khanyile said he was with his six dogs in the veld looking after his cattle when the dogs started barking in scrub ahead.
He could not remember the exact date or year of the incident, although others had said that it had happened in 2009.
“I followed the dogs to a shrub where they were barking and whining and to my surprise, three of my dogs were dead and it (the leopard) had just ripped the fourth dog apart. It was a scary sight and before I knew it, it was on top of me ripping my flesh apart,” he said.
“I was all alone, far from the homesteads.”
Khanyile said his knobkerrie had been useless against the wild animal.
“It threw me to the ground. Part of my skin on the face was ripped off by the animal’s razor-sharp claws. I don’t know what came to its mind because it paused for a moment from attacking me, and then just dashed off.”
He said he hobbled to the closest homesteads and was taken to hospital where his right arm was amputated.
“I spent many days in hospital. The bone was broken because I tried to shield my face with the arm; I guess that’s how I broke the bone. My other hand is paralysed. I can’t feed myself. I am practically dependent on my wife here at home. Life has changed,” he said.
“I’m useless.” Added Khanyile: “This is hard to accept because the one moment I’m walking in the veld looking after my cattle and the next thing I’m permanently disabled.”
He said the R50 000 he was offered by the then MEC for agriculture and environmental affairs, Dr Meshack Hadebe, had made no huge difference to his life.
He added that he had not been officially informed about Madonsela’s report.
Area induna, Mzikayifani Shezi described Khanyile’s life as unbearable, and said he could remember two people who had been killed recently by wild animals from the game reserve.
“He (Khanyile) was lucky to survive, but I must say, he finds it difficult to accept his current condition.
“When we are at gatherings around the village we look after him. If he wants to have something to drink or when we eat meat in the kraal, we feed him.
“This is a sad situation and the game reserve doesn’t want to fully take responsibility,” said Shezi.
“These animals pounce at any time and we find it difficult to send our children to collect livestock, or send them to neighbours.”
In her findings, Madonsela recommended that the department compensate villagers whose livestock had been killed by wild animals from the reserve, villagers who had been injured, or the families of those who were killed.
Within six months of the report being made public, the department should, at its own cost, find a compensation expert to quantify Khanyile’s loss (he was identified as Mr K in the report) and compensate him accordingly, Madonsela suggested.
The report also suggests that within 12 months, the department should consider establishing a victims’ fund that would cater for the compensation of potential victims.
Revenue for the fund should come from fines and levies imposed on game park owners, she recommended.
However, Ezemvelo chief executive Bandile Mkhize said Madonsela did not do a good job in investigating the attacks by wild animals on villagers and livestock.
“We compensate victims of wild animal attacks and it is not true that we do not consult them. Just two weeks ago, we were at the village with MEC Mabuyakhulu and we addressed the people. Those who have lost livestock must come and report to us, we can’t go hunting for people as that would be opening ourselves up for fraudulent claims,” he said. “How do you prove that someone has lost 10 goats in 2010?
“We have our procedures and we guard against fraudulent claims,” Mkhize said.
“We are not going to compensate willy-nilly.”
He said the R50 000 given to Khanyile was a humanitarian gesture.
Daily News