Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
WHAT seemed like a routine fishing expedition went horribly wrong for Mr Windas Sianene Muleya from Binga District in Matabeleland North Province who would end up losing both his legs and an arm when a crocodile savagely attacked him in the Zambezi River.
Mr Muleya (45), a father of two, nearly bled to death after the beast viciously tucked into his flesh.
The once resourceful Mr Muleya is now forced to rely on others for mobility, after his independence was brutally stripped away from him.
His face, etched with pain and hardship, is a map of his struggles.
Deep lines crease his forehead, and his eyes tell a story of sorrow and sadness. His skin is parched and dry, a testament to the harsh conditions he endures daily.
Mr Muleya’s story is one of tragedy and loss; a life forever changed by a brutal encounter with a crocodile on that fateful day in September 2022.
And his struggles are far from over. Climate change is exacerbating the challenges he faces, making his daily life even more precarious.
Before the devastating crocodile attack, Mr Muleya was the primary breadwinner for his family, including his 88-year-old mother, Ms Dorica Munkombwe.
He supported his loved ones through fishing and farming, but the tragic incident left him unable to provide for them.
Mr Muleya recounted the fateful day when he visited Kavhira Forest near the Zambezi River in the Mlibizi area, where his family’s cattle were grazing on the lush pastures.
“After releasing the cattle, I decided to go fishing in the Zambezi River, a routine activity I was used to. As I made my way to a nearby island to fish, my three friends went elsewhere, leaving me alone. For about 20 minutes, I sat on the island, waiting for a catch, when suddenly a herd of elephants emerged, surrounding the island and blocking my escape route,” he said.
In a desperate bid to escape the menacing elephants, Mr Muleya made the treacherous decision to swim across the crocodile-infested river, covering a distance of about 10 metres to reach the riverbank in front of him.
He said as he waded neck-deep into the water, a crocodile suddenly struck, attacking his legs.
“In a matter of seconds, the predator had torn off my left hand, leaving me screaming in agony. The crocodile then dragged me under water and targeted my legs once again,” he said.
In a daring and instinctive move, Mr Muleya said he thrust his remaining right hand into the crocodile’s mouth, attempting to choke it.
“As I continued to scream for help, my three friends, who had initially left, returned to the scene and joined forces to fight off the crocodile. Together, we managed to overpower the beast, and it finally released its grip on me but the damage had already been done,” he said.
Mr Muleya said he almost bled to death from the severed hand and legs adding that he is lucky to have made it to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo where both legs and the remaining part of the left arm were amputated.
“They amputated one of the legs four times, two times at Mpilo and two times in Zambia. I am in pain most of the time, especially at night,” he said.
Because of his condition, Mr Muleya can no longer fend for his family and relies on food aid from the Government and partners such as the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS).
“It pains me to wake up failing to do anything. So I try to work using one hand but it is very difficult. I am very grateful to Red Cross for the food aid but it’s not enough because I need school fees for my children and money for other things,” he said.
Mr Muleya said the recurrent droughts and hot conditions in Binga have been tough on him.
“Things have changed and people need to adapt to these new conditions (climate change), but for us, we are often left out because of our disability. Look at this garden, it’s me who is working to resuscitate it after a year of neglect because I was dealing with my medical issues,” he said.
Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns are increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves, droughts, and floods, which can be devastating for people with disabilities.
The heatwaves make his wounds more susceptible to infection, while the droughts limit access to clean water, exacerbating his hygiene and health challenges.
People with disabilities (PWDs), like Mr Muleya, are disproportionately affected by climate change. They often face barriers in accessing essential services such as healthcare, sanitation, and emergency response systems, which can be compromised during extreme weather events.
The lack of accessible infrastructure, such as ramps, walkways, and shelter, can also trap them in their homes, making them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
According to Unicef, 15 percent of the world’s population has disabilities, which is about one billion people with an estimated 1, 4 million being in Zimbabwe.
Across the globe, the World Bank says, persons with disabilities experience mortality rates up to four times higher in natural disasters than people without disabilities.
Although 15 percent of the world’s population has a disability, climate change adaptation efforts do not adequately take their needs into account.
Ms Munkombwe acknowledged that life has not been rosy since their breadwinner’s life threatening injuries.
“We are food insecure and we no longer grow crops as we used to before my son was attacked by the crocodile,” she said.
There are many other people with disabilities in Binga who are facing similar challenges to Mr Muleya’s.
In the wake of such situations, the ZRCS with support from the Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is reaching out to 20 000 people with food aid in five wards in Binga.
Mr Elias Hwenga, the secretary-general of the ZRCS said people with disabilities are among vulnerable groups that are being targeted by the project, which is titled the Early Action Protocol.
“The project has several other interventions such as distribution of drought-tolerant seed to 2 000 farmers and training of farmers on climate smart agricultural techniques, supporting de-worming or dosing and dipping of cattle.
“The project’s goal is to mitigate drought induced food insecurity through implementation of early actions targeting 4 000 households in five wards in Binga District. The project is responding to El-Nino induced drought. The drought has been a serious threat to agriculture-based livelihoods in Zimbabwe.
The El Nino phenomenon-induced crop loss and livestock deaths which are the major drivers of food insecurity causing widespread malnutrition and all these impacts are hampering the achievement of the sustainable development goals in Zimbabwe, notably SDG1 (no poverty), SDG2 (zero hunger), and SDG3 (good health and well-being),” said Mr Hwenga.
Senator Anna Shiri who represents PWDs said the Government is working on the National Disability Policy and the Disaster Risk Management bill to ensure inclusion and meaningful participation of PWDs at all levels in Disaster Risk Management processes.
“The Government wants to ensure that persons with disabilities are involved in climate change decision-making processes, including planning, implementation, and monitoring.
“The Government wants to ensure that persons with disabilities are represented in national and international climate change forums, such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),” she said.
