27 Jul 2014

Police in Kasane are investigating a case in which an 87-year-old man was killed by an elephant next to his kraal at Tinto Cattle Post near Mabele.

In an interview, officer commanding for Chobe District, Senior Superintendant Shane Mathitha said the incident took place at around 5 p.m on July 15.

Snr Supt Mathitha said the police did not know what provoked the elephant to attack the deceased, but noted that the incident took place a few metres from the deceased’s yard. A rifle with two rounds was found near the man’s corpse.

He said it was the second incident of an elephant killing a man in less than two months. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks estimated that there were over 70 000 elephants in the Chobe District. This resulted in tense human-wildlife relations.

In another incident, police were investigating a case in which a 26-year-old man died in a road accident along the Kasane/Kazungula road on July 13. 

Snr/ upt Mathitha said police were investigating the cause of the accident. The driver, who was with another man, was admitted to Kasane Primary Hospital. Both men were employees of Chobe Marina Lodge.

This brought the number of people who died in road accidents in the Chobe District to four since January. Snr Supt Mathitha advised drivers to desist from drunk driving, to avoid speeding and to ensure that their vehicles were roadworthy. ENDS