Zimbabwe bride marries just days after arm amputated in crocodile attack

A Zimbabwe woman and her British husband are married, but the wedding almost didn’t happen because of a crocodile attack just days earlier.

Zanele Ndlovu and Jamie Fox married on May 5 at Bulawayo hospital after she was attacked by the reptile five days earlier while on a canoeing trip with Fox.

The pair told Reuters Wednesday that they had been on an expedition on one of Africa’s longest rivers on April 30 when the attack occurred, puncturing their inflatable boat.

“I was pushing and kicking and trying to fight the croc as much as I could,” Ndlovu said. “Eventually, one of the tour guides managed to pull me out of the water and get me onto one of their canoes. And then when I was safe, they got him (Fox) out of the water to another canoe.”

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Once out of the boat, tour guides realized her arm was badly injured and she was airlifted to Bulawayo hospital for treatment.

Due to her injury, her shattered right arm had to be amputated just above the elbow and has been wrapped in a bandage. The lower part of her left arm was also injured and has been put in a splint.

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Her injuries didn’t stop the couple from getting married.

“When this happened and the doctor said it’s still a possibility, we didn’t see a reason why to change our date, so we went on with it,” Ndlovu said.

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Since they had planned to have the wedding at an outdoor venue in Bulawayo, Fox said the wedding still turned out to be an “amazing” affair at the Mater Dei Hospital’s chapel.

“Obviously, the doctor said they could accommodate to have our wedding at the hospital and it was decorated beautifully. We had a great day,” he said.

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After the ceremony was finished, Fox said the rest of their guests went to the pre-planned venue to celebrate while the couple stayed at the hospital for the rest of the day.

Though they missed the larger celebration, Fox said it was “really nice” because they had the rest of the day to themselves to relax together, calling it “the best day of our lives.”

The couple, who met two years ago when Fox was volunteering in the country on a six-month volunteer program, say they’re looking into possibilities for Ndlovu.

“I think the first thing we’re going to explore will be the possibility of a fully functional prosthetic arm,” Fox told Reuters. “I think we both agree to live as much an independent life as possible. But we already realize that there are going to have to be some changes we have to make to our lifestyle.”

Now married, the couple say they plan to move to Britain to settle down.