A 12-year-old Buhera boy showed courage when he fought off a crocodile that attacked him as he crossed Save River. He was able to do this because his grandmother had taught him how to stay alive in dangerous situations.
Delvin Mutsvakiwa, a Grade 7 student at St. Moses Primary School in Buhera, was hurt badly on both hands, but he was still a brave person.
But Delvin didn't give up, even though his wounds hurt.
He stuck his fingers up the snake's nose, which was something his grandmother had taught him.
When the crocodile ran out of air, it lost all of its strength and let Delvin go.
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The boy jumped at the chance to swim quickly to safety.
The Manica Post met Delvin and his mother, Ms. Matilda Mutsvakiwa, after he had been released from Murambinda Mission Hospital after two days.
"I was in front as we helped our cattle cross the Save River. We helped the first and second groups of animals in our herd cross the river. We were crossing with the last group when my left arm suddenly hurt very badly.
"I saw that a crocodile was coming after me. My friends who were behind me ran back to the riverbank and started shouting at me to wade to the reeds.
"I yelled back that I couldn't do that because it was too deep. I could see that if I did what they said, the snake would eventually beat me and kill me.
"At that point, I stuck my fingers up the crocodile's nose. After a few minutes, I saw that it was no longer able to do anything. It let go of my hand, and I swam quickly to the bank of the river.
"I had been badly hurt and was bleeding a lot. Delvin said, "I had to put some sand on the wounds to stop the bleeding."
The crocodile was determined to win, so it followed Delvin's trail of blood and caught up with him.
With its mouth wide open and ready to eat the young boy, the crocodile turned its attention to a goat that miraculously walked by.
The reptile grabbed the goat and ran into the river.
At that time, three of Delvin's friends ran to the village to tell the elders that a crocodile had attacked him.
"If the crocodile had attacked me a second time, I would have died because I had no more strength. I'd lost a lot of blood and was starting to feel lightheaded.
"When I saw it open its mouth, I closed my eyes and let fate take its course, since I couldn't protect myself anymore," Delvin said.
Ms. Mutsvakiwa said that when the other villagers got to the river, they were already crying because they thought Delvin had been dead for a long time.
"No one could find him, and the river water was red.
"We didn't know at the time that the crocodile had eaten both Delvin's blood and that of the goat.
"People were crying, and the village leader was about to call the police to tell them that Delvin had died when a weak Delvin shouted that he was still alive and was across the river.
She said, "I'm grateful to God for saving my son and giving him a second chance at life."
Ms. Mutsvakiwa went on to say that Delvin's cousin was killed by a crocodile at the same crossing point not too long ago.
"That's when my mother began teaching her grandchildren how to stay alive.
"She told them that if a crocodile came after them, they should either stick a reed in its mouth or stick their fingers in its nostrils.
Ms. Mutsvakiwa said, "My mother's lessons saved my son's life, and I will always be grateful for that."
Honourable William Mutomba, a businessman and lawmaker for Buhera North, was impressed by how brave Delvis was, and he has since taken the boy in as his own.
Hon Mutomba gave Delvin $300 to help pay for his medical bills.
He has also said he will pay for the boy to go to high school.
"God does strange things. I think He saved this boy's life so that we could see how powerful God is. It's not often that a child that age is brave enough to stick his fingers up a crocodile's nose.
"His grandmother should be praised for teaching him such things. I'm going to take care of him as if he were my own son. "I will also pay his school fees and give him everything he needs for school until he finishes his Advanced Level education," said Hon. Mutomba.