The search for a South African national believed to have been mauled by crocodiles in Shakawe River in full view of her children a week ago is expected to be called off sometime this week.
Police said the chances of either finding her alive, or recovering her body, are now very slim.
Reports from Shakawe police state that the South African woman, who was working in one of the private clinics in Maun was on September 30 attacked by crocodiles in full view of her two children, aged 10 and 12.
The woman had earlier decided to swim in the river to cool herself from the heat. The children screamed for help as they witnessed their mother being mauled by the crocodiles.
Police and members of the Botswana Defence Force were called in to search for her.
Acting Station Commander of Shakawe Police Station, Assistant Superintendent Amos Solomon, said they had lost hope of even finding her remains.
He explained that the incident occurred on Independence Day. Solomon further said after the matter was reported to the police they immediately rushed to the scene together with BDF scuba divers. An intensive search ensued around the area where she was attacked.
“It is a very difficult situation as the river is full of dangerous animals which pose a challenge to the search team and chances of finding her alive are highly unlikely,” he said. ┬á
He added that it is now more than a week since her disappearance but nothing is forth coming.
“Compared to the first few days, the search has now slowed down,” he said.
Solomon said the search was likely to be called off sometime during the week. He said animal attacks, especially involving local residents, are not common in his policing area.
In 2011 a South African tourist was killed by wild animals inside the Chobe National Park. An intensive search was conducted but was called off after weeks, yielded nothing.
The tourist was in the company of his wife when their vehicle broke down in the park. Despite the warning that they should not go out of the park, he used his Global Positioning System (GPS) to seek assistance. He never returned to the car.
In a separate incident, police in Nxamasere village are investigating a case in which a 53-year-old man allegedly shot and killed his wife, aged 43.
Solomon said on Sunday morning around 10 the alleged man shot his wife and turned the gun on himself and the two were found in a pool of blood.
“We have not yet established the motive behind the shooting but we strongly believe that the two might have had differences that could have led to the shooting,” Solomon said.
He said the woman worked in Nxamasere clinic while the husband worked for the council in Gumare.
He appealed to couples to seek assistance from relevant people when they have differences in their relationships instead of taking their lives.
