Roxanne Reid - Africa Addict
  • Home
  • Book author
    • Travels in the Kalahari >
      • Photo gallery: Travels in the Kalahari
      • Book reviews: Travels in the Kalahari
    • A Walk in the Park >
      • Photo gallery: A Walk in the Park
      • Book reviews: A Walk in the Park
    • The Essential Guide to Self-Editing >
      • Book reviews: Essential Guide to Self-Editing
    • Betrayed
    • Book reviews online
  • Editing & proofreading
  • In the media
    • Travel features
    • Health features
    • Online media
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Links
  • Contact

The leopard man of Limpopo

22/10/2014

13 Comments

 
The leopard man of Limpopo
By Roxanne Reid
He raised his rifle and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He ejected the cartridge and tried again. Nothing. Still the leopard rushed towards him, eyes locked on its target. There was time for only one more attempt before the animal was on him. But it wasn’t third time lucky for the leopard man of Limpopo, Ramolefe ‘Boy’ Moatshe.

Fast forward 25 years to where we sat under a spreading black-thorn tree in Matlabas village in Limpopo. Ramolefe was a giant of a man, just over six feet tall but somehow larger because of his upright stance and commanding presence. And he was possibly South Africa’s only survivor of a barehanded fight with a leopard.

Now, seven years since we met him, we’d returned to Marakele and heard the news that he had died. Although he’d have been in his nineties by now, we were saddened by the end of what had been one man’s remarkable story, which I documented in my book
A Walk in the Park: Travels in & around South Africa's national parks.

When we met him, Ramolefe limped with a walking stick and settled himself in a chair with evidence of the previous night’s fire at his back. Then he continued his tale in Afrikaans, in deference to our ignorance of Tswana. It was a story of incredible bravery, of survival against the odds way back in 1981. 
The leopard man of Limpopo
Ramolefe Moatshe's son Morapedi, who worked at nearby Marakele National Park, took us to his father's house at Matlabas to hear his story
It all started with a missing calf. Ramolefe followed the spoor and discovered a leopard had killed the calf, so he went back the next day to track it down before it killed again – his dogs, a friend and his gun at his side. Quickly the dogs were on the scent and before long they came rollicking back towards him, a pissed-off leopard in hot pursuit. Terrified to be facing an angry leopard without hope of defence, his companion (let’s call him Piet) turned tail and scuttled to a 44-gallon drum sometimes used to store wire for the fences. He crawled inside and crouched there while Ramolefe and the leopard fought to the death.

The big man tried to hit the leopard with the butt of the rifle as it attacked, but it bit through the wood as if it was butter. The two tumbled over one another down the mountainside into a dry river valley and landed on a flattish rock. Ramolefe knew he was outgunned without a leopard’s fearsome teeth and claws, but he was a strong man despite his nearly 60 years. The leopard struck the first serious blow, opening a cut on his head that started to bleed profusely.
The leopard man of Limpopo
Ramolefe Moatshe still had photos that documented his struggle with the leopard and was proud to show them to us
‘I grabbed the leopard, but he arched back just like a house cat and slipped out of my grip. Every now and then I had to wipe my arm across my eyes to clear away the blood so I could see,’ he recalled. He tried to break the leopard’s jaw with his hands to stop it from biting him, but the animal twisted away. Then he tried with his knee, forcing it down hard into its mouth. All he got for his pains were some deep gashes that would trouble him for the rest of his life.

By now Ramolefe was squishing in his boots. It was blood, he knew. Yet he fought on, battling with all his strength to gain the upper hand.

‘I wasn’t thinking about anything,’ he admitted. ‘Not winning, not dying there in the mountains, nothing.’ Pumped up on adrenalin, he was just reacting to the threat. ‘Then I remembered I had a homemade knife in my belt and I struggled to hold the leopard with one hand so I could grab it.’

Both adversaries were hampered by the slippery rock, the leopard failing at times to gain a foothold with its claws. Ramolefe too slipped and fell. By now both were exhausted and panting loudly. Finally, with the leopard on its side, he managed to stick the knife in once … twice. The animal snarled in pain. Blood seeped from its nostrils and mouth. A third thrust ended the 15-minute clash of wills and the leopard lay dead.
The leopard man of Limpopo
Despite sharp teeth and claws, the leopard succumbed to Ramolefe's knife, but left many scars to remember him by
‘I was panting so loudly you could hear me a mile away,’ says Ramolefe. He dragged himself back to where the gun had fallen and tried another shot – and another. Finally the gun fired as it should and the sound brought Piet out of his drum to peer cautiously over the rise, checking to see if the leopard was dead.

Piet helped his friend walk for some distance till they were almost in sight of their homes before Ramolefe collapsed. ‘There was no more power in me,’ he confessed. Piet set off to get help. ‘Hardloooooop!’ Ramolefe grunted, and Piet started to run.

Piet raised the alarm and he and Ramolefe’s wife started an old Jeep to come back to fetch the injured man. It was a slow affair because neither could drive and all Piet could manage was first gear. An eternity later, they hoisted Ramolefe into the Jeep and limped and jerked to a shop not far away. Here was someone with a car and a licence, someone who could take him to hospital at Thabazimbi about 20 kilometres away.

But with an eye on the profits rather than the patient, the shopkeeper refused to leave until near closing time, so Ramolefe waited in a pool of blood. All he had to help him cope with his injuries, the shock and the pain was a Grandpa powder.
The leopard man of Limpopo
These photos show the 60-year-old Ramolefe after his leopard encounter. We met him when he was 85; when we asked after him on a return visit seven years later we heard that he had died
Late that afternoon he finally made it to hospital, nearly 10 hours after he and the leopard first bumped into each other. He faced two weeks of excruciating pain. ‘It was so bad I cried like a baby. I broke a Coke bottle and tried to slit my throat, but they stopped me,’ he said. Later he spent more than two months in rehab in Pretoria, having physiotherapy on his shattered knees, which even 25 years later still bore deep scars and were painfully arthritic.

Within months he was back on the job, this time armed with a better gun – one that worked. ‘But I never needed to use it,’ he said.

The leopard had broken a tooth in the battle, and its claws had been worn down as it scrabbled about on the rocks. Now it was skinned and turned into a pelt that was initially given to Ramolefe, though he no longer had it. ‘My baas took it,’ he said simply.

Yes, those were the bad old days when you could nearly lose your life to protect your boss’s cattle from a marauding leopard, yet the pelt could be taken from you without so much as a backward glance.

In much the same way, Ramolefe accepted the lack of support from Piet during the attack. No recriminations, no enduring feud; he still saw him regularly.

‘He was a papbroek!’ I said, and he allowed himself two slow nods and a gruff chuckle. And with quiet laughter all round, we shook hands, honoured to have met a man who was a legend in his own lifetime.

Rest in peace, Madala.

You may also enjoy
​
Marakele National Park: everything you need to know
Mapungubwe National Park: everything you need to know


Like it? Pin this image!
Surviving against the odds: the leopard man of Limpopo #SouthAfrica #wildlife #leopard
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
13 Comments
wayne
22/10/2014 10:17:13 am

What an amazing man. I am pleased that you could pass on his story.RIP Leopardman

Reply
Roxanne link
22/10/2014 10:28:00 am

He had such a presence about him, Wayne, and we were totally hooked by his incredible story.

Reply
Glenda Wills
22/10/2014 10:22:56 am

Amazing story. A very brave man and I did feel sorry that the leopard had to die.

Reply
Roxanne link
22/10/2014 10:30:28 am

Not bad for a man of 60 years old! But I agree with you, Glenda, that it was sad that a beautiful leopard had to die. Once a leopard engages it just doesn't give up and run away, as some other predators would do.

Reply
AfricaInside link
23/10/2014 12:23:30 pm

What is a papbroek? :) Also loved the story but sad for the leopard, I know,..I just wished we understood predators more so we didn't have to have conflicts with them where people get hurt but more often the animal loses its life. Wondering who 'we' is that you keep referring to in the beginning. Thanks. Lori

Reply
Roxanne
25/10/2014 11:37:29 am

A papbroek is a coward or scaredy pants, Lori.
"We" on the blog usually means me and my husband, as indeed in this case.

Reply
Carol link
21/4/2015 01:47:37 am

What an interesting, and touchy story ,yes I understand the lion died, he also had his life to save.

Reply
Brian Moatshe
11/1/2018 10:33:58 am

RIP - Kwena you made us proud.

Reply
Roxanne
11/1/2018 10:47:08 am

He was a very nice man, Brian, as well as being a champion survivor in my eyes.

Reply
Tshepo Vincent
4/5/2020 10:52:08 am

I wonder why Google publish this story of my grandfather without our permission or giving us something

Reply
Roxanne
6/5/2020 09:23:40 am

You don't know the facts, my friend. First, this was a face-to-face interview with the old man and it was obviously with his full permission. Second, when I visited him with Morapedi, the old man was suffering with pain because of his knees. I gave him R500 so he could go to the clinic to get an injection - which back in 2007 when we visited was a lot of money. I also gave him a pair of reading glasses worth hundreds more.

Reply
Obakeng Mashashe (Born to Gopolang Mashashe nee Moatshe)
17/6/2022 08:17:46 am

I am pleased to let everyone know that the pelt was finally given back to him and i remember seeing it in my childhood being neglected on top of the fire hut. i heard the story first hand from my mother who tended to his wound and washed off the blood from his clothes(practically raised by him though she is a niece to him).The legend still lives in our family and some old family friends but we still have not seen the place(turned into Marekele Nature reserve now) and i am deeply saddened that we do not have the only evidence of his struggle on that day due to negligence

Reply
Roxanne Reid
17/6/2022 12:27:55 pm

Good to know that he got the pelt at last. When we visited him with his grandson in 2007, he seemed resigned to not having it but I'm sure he was happy to get back such a big part of his history.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Get email links to the latest posts

    Buy my books
    Travels in the Kalahari, amazon.com e-book
    E-book 2012​

    A Walk in the Park, amazon.com e-book
    2nd ed e-book 2015
    The Essential Guide to Self-Editing, amazon.com e-book
    E-book 2017

    About 

    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
    My travel buddy and husband Keith is the primary photographer for this blog.
    We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.
    Use this website to discover new places to go, revisit places you've loved, or take a virtual tour of destinations you only dream about.

    Categories

    All
    Baviaanskloof
    Books
    Botswana
    Camping
    Cape Town
    Chobe
    Conservation
    Drc
    Eastern Cape
    Etosha Namibia
    Food
    Free State
    Garden Route
    Gauteng
    Issues
    Kalahari
    Karoo
    Kenya
    Kruger National Park
    Kwazulu Natal
    Lesotho
    Limpopo
    Linyanti
    Madagascar
    Malawi
    Mozambique
    Mpumalanga
    Namaqualand
    Namibia
    Nature Parks
    Northern Cape
    Okavango
    Overberg
    People
    Photography
    Richtersveld
    Tanzania
    West Coast
    Western Cape
    Wild Creatures
    Zambia
    Zimbabwe

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    January 2010
    November 2009


Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za

Privacy Policy, GDPR and POPIA compliance
​* We promise that we take data safety seriously and use your private data only to offer a personalised experience
* If you subscribed to our newsletter, you will receive our newsletters. You can always unsubscribe by following the link in email or by emailing us
* If you gave us your name, it will only be used to personalise the newsletters
* We have never sold, we are not selling, and we will not sell any of your personal data provided to us
* The blog uses cookies to track activity. It is anonymous except for telling us your location and what you did on our blog
​
Photos from berniedup, Lucy_Hill