A man has been trampled to death by an elephant in Nkayi district, in an incident that has left villagers fearful amid concerns that wildlife is straying closer to communities.
The attack happened on Sunday night near the Singwangombe River in Mthoniselwa village, Ward 13.
Ward councillor Weston Msimanga said the victim, identified as Mbusi Mabhena, had been walking home from a bus stop when he was attacked.
“This is the first time such a catastrophic incident has happened in our area,” Cllr Msimanga said. “He was coming from the buses at night when the elephant cornered him at the river.”
He said the animal was not seen at the time, but its footprints were later identified at the scene.
According to Cllr Msimanga, the victim had been walking with a friend but asked him to go ahead. The friend later returned and found him seriously injured after the apparent trampling.
“He rushed to alert the family and other villagers. When they came back, he had already died,” he said.
Police attended the scene. No post-mortem was conducted after the family agreed to proceed with burial. The man was laid to rest on Monday.
In a statement, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said it had received a report of the incident and had deployed personnel to assess the situation.
The authority said investigations were ongoing in coordination with the Nkayi Rural District Council and the Zimbabwe Republic Police. Efforts to obtain further details were unsuccessful.
Villagers say the attack has heightened anxiety in the area, with some residents now reluctant to travel at night.
“We are no longer safe. People are afraid to even walk to nearby villages or fetch water,” said one resident, who identified himself as saMaNcu. “We need authorities to act quickly before more lives are lost.”
Another villager, Thalazani Moyo, said residents suspect the elephant may have strayed from nearby wildlife areas such as the Gwayi Conservancy or Hwange National Park.
“We have also started seeing buffaloes coming closer to our homes. This is something new and it is worrying,” he said.
Cllr Msimanga urged wildlife authorities to increase patrols in the area, warning that fear was spreading within the community.
“Communities are living in fear. We need urgent intervention to protect people before another tragedy occurs,” he said.