Oct 27, 2026 |
A great white shark more than three and a half metres long is believed to have caused a rare and fatal attack on a woman in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, according to scientists and experts.
The conclusion is the result of a wound analysis carried out by the East London Museum’s principal scientist, Kevin Cole, with input from researchers Geremy Cliff and Matt Dicken, Nature World News.
The 65-year-old victim was swimming with an open-water group at Orient Beach in KuGompo City, formerly East London, when she was attacked at around 07:00 on 20 October, before lifeguard patrols had begun.
The species is not common in Mozambique but can reach the waters of the country’s south. In 2022, baited underwater cameras deployed off Chidenguele, in Gaza, filmed a juvenile great white shark identified months earlier at Struisbaai, in the Western Cape, which confirmed a journey of at least 1 800 kilometres in just over four months, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which conducts these surveys with the Oceanographic Institute of Mozambique (InOM).
Also according to Nature World News, Cole identified several bites to the right shoulder, arm, thigh and upper leg, with a crescent-shaped outline where the jaw closed around the thigh.
The researchers consider the involvement of bull sharks or tiger sharks unlikely, given that the water was clear and at about 15°C. Cole also mentioned a recent sighting in the area, likewise in comments gathered by the Daily Dispatch.
The publication stresses that this is an expert interpretation of the injuries and not a genetic test, and that the police inquest remains open. The victim was identified by the media as Janine Lochrenberg, a recently retired nuclear radiographer. According to municipal spokesperson Luzuko Buku, quoted by TimesLIVE, it was the city’s first fatal attack since 1997.
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality closed Orient and Eastern beaches within a few hours and planned to reopen them on 23 October, if safety conditions allowed. For the festive season, the municipality announced the addition of 35 seasonal lifeguards, extended patrol hours from 07:00 to 18:00, and until 20:00 on peak days, as well as warning flags and multilingual signage.
Photo: img.buzzfeed.com
