Cape Town – Seven-year-old Johandré Blom is recovering at home after surviving a horrific crocodile attack at the Emanzini Fishing Resort near Brits in March.
He was playing in shallow water with a friend, Dylan Bekker, just metres from where their fathers were fishing, when the crocodile struck and dragged him away. His friend screamed and attempted to pull him back as the attack unfolded.
“It was a monster of a crocodile. After Johandré was saved, a young man went out in a boat to see if he could find the arm, and the crocodile went for the boat. We went to see the owner of the resort and advised that the crocodile be shot. This must not happen again. It was horrendous,” said Jannie Bekker, Dylan’s father, according to Kormorant.
His father, Corné, rushed into the water and managed to free him, but Johandré’s arm was lost in the attack.
After being stabilised in Brits, he was airlifted to a hospital in Alberton, where he was placed in an induced coma.
Johandré’s family launched a BackaBuddy campaign to raise R1 million for his medical expenses, including multiple urgent surgeries.
Despite the challenging recovery process and significant medical expenses, the family has received overwhelming support, raising almost half a million rand for Johandré’s care, Pretoria Rekord reported.
Johandré expressed gratitude in a video sharing the news of his recovery.
@rekordpretoria Video: Seven-year-old boy recovering at home after crocodile attack Read more here: https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/news-headlines/2025/04/23/video-seven-year-old-boy-recovering-at-home-after-crocodile-attack/ #breakingnews #pretoria #Hartebeespoortdam #latestnews ♬ original sound – rekordpretoria
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
