North West District Council (NWDC) Chairman, Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho is recovering at Francistown’s Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital after being attacked by a buffalo at his home village, Khwai, on Sunday.
Ntsogotlho, who is said to be in a stable condition, reportedly sustained a deep wound to his left thigh as well as a hairline fracture to the femur in the near-death experience.
Speaking to Okavango Voice on Monday morning, NWDC Secretary, Motlogelwa Thuso, revealed, “Council management visited him at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital in Maun this morning before he was transferred to Nyangabwe. He was stable and we managed to chat with him.”
According to Thuso, the council have been informed that Ntsogotlho, the sitting councillor for Khwai-Mababe ward, went fishing with friends at Khwai River yesterday.
It is reported that he went for a walk but, having wondered a short distance from his mates, was surprised by a buffalo darting out of the bush.
The beast – whose species are notoriously bad-tempered – ran the Chairman down, gouging his leg open.
However, as the animal prepared for a second attack, Ntsogotlho’s friends came to the rescue, managing to position their vehicle between the buffalo and the Chairman.
It is an act that probably saved Ntsogotlho’s life with the buffalo then retreating back into the bush
“That is how he was rescued. He arrived at Letsholathebe hospital around 10 at night and in the morning the hospital management took a decision to transfer him to Nyangabgwe,” concluded Thuso.
Meanwhile, Regional Wildlife Coordinator in Maun, Dimakatso Ntshebe said the incident was never reported to them and the department only learnt about it through social media posts.
“We are investigating it,” added Ntsebe.