The groom Jimmy Fox (left) puts a ring on the finger of the bride Zanele Ndlovu during their wedding held at a local hospital in Bulawayo yesterday. (picture by Nkosizile Ndlovu) ....
Former Zimbabwean national tennis player Zanele Ndlovu (25) and her fiancé Jamie Fox were canoeing on the Zambezi near the Victoria Falls, where they had planned to get married a few days later, when a crocodile attacked their canoe.
The inflatable vessel began to deflate during the attack, and as Jamie looked on in horror, the crocodile ripped a part of Zanele’s right arm off and bit her left hand.
Jamie did what he could to rescue her, and was able to apply a makeshift tourniquet to contain the severe bleeding before Zanele was rushed to Mater Dei hospital in Bulawayo.
Surgeons managed to save her life despite the heavy blood loss, but she lost most of her right arm.
Unphased, Zanele was determined to go ahead with the marriage, though the ceremony had to be moved from Vic Falls to the hospital chapel in Bulawayo.
Image: Nkosizile Ndlovu
“It is a quite remarkable love story,” a guest commented. “It really does show their love for each other. The crocodile attack made no difference.”
A short video clip from the ceremony on Sunday shows the moment the groom kissed the bride.
Video: Stanford Chiwanga / YouTube
Zanele should be able to continue playing tennis because she is left-handed.
The happy couple before the attack. Image: Facebook
The Daily Mail reports there were 21 fatal crocodile attacks in Zimbabwe last year.
Source: YouTube
– AFP
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