Safety Lecturer Victim of Namibian Crocodile

A crocodile grabbed Postmaster Kobus Slabbert by the ankle and dragged him into the Zambezi River as the man was warning women and children about the perils of playing in the water, the South African Press Assn. reported Monday. Slabbert was presumed dead.

Robert Britz, a friend of Slabbert’s, said that three families were picnicking Sunday when Slabbert saw women and children playing in the shallow water about 25 yards away and went to warn them about the danger of crocodiles. Seconds later, a large crocodile crawled up the bank, gripped Slabbert’s ankle in its jaws and disappeared under the water with its victim, Britz said.