What is the South African Legend of Mamlambo?

Mamlambo Legend

In 1997, around the Mzintlava River in near Mount Ayliff in South Africa, a series of killings occurred by something strange in the water. 9 villagers would be killed in total frightening nearby communities. As word spread about the killings, the South African press would descend on the area to learn what was happening. According to natives, a large reptile monster, that has terrorized the waters for centuries, had attacked and killed 9 members of their community. 

The Villagers referred to this beast as deity as “Mamlambo”, or the “Brain Sucker”. 

Mamlambo is typically described in one of two ways: 

Mamlambo Description

The first is a massive reptile with the torso of the horse, lower body of a fish, short legs and neck of a snake. There are different variations of this, with some versions the body being more fish like. Mamlambo is said to be around 60 feet long, and Some say it emits a faint green light that can be seen under the water. This is because Mamlambo’s scales resemble precious gemstones that emit a glow beneath the water’s surface. Mamlambo is said to manifest during lighting storms.  It is said to possess the ability to hypnotize anyone who looks into its eyes in the water. Similar to a crocodile, it can come out of water, grab unsuspecting victims and drag them deep underwater. 

The second way Mamlambo is often described is more mythological in nature. This way says that Mamlambo resembles a mermaid. The creature is described as beautiful and possessing a long tail. This version of Mamlambo says the creature is seductive and dangerous. She lures people into the water, and then kills them. 

Mamlambo draws its name from mythology. In Zulu mythology, Mamlambo is a God associated with lakes and rivers. Natives believe that Mamlambo demands sacrifices. If not, Mamlambo may punish villagers by flooding or possibly inflicting a drought. Mamlambo is said she is able to shape-Shift and control the ebbs and flows of the water. 

So, is there any truth to an unknown cryptid, a massive reptile, lurking in the Mzintavla River? 

As mentioned earlier, natives call Mamlambo the Brain sucker because when victims’ bodies finally are pulled from the water, they are missing their face. Natives believe Mamlambo chomps through the face to the Brain. However, police who investigated the deaths in 1997 said that the faces were eaten by crabs and fish. 

Is Mamlambo just a myth? 

Not according to one older native named Matshunga. 

Matshunga was quoted saying “It is a big snake, and I have seen what it does… (it has) the head and neck of a snake, and it shines at night with a green light.”

If these statements are true, it suggests possibly a new massive reptile lurks in the water. 

Of course, there is a strong possibility that the victims were killed by either a massive crocodile or hippopotamus. While both don’t mainly reside in South Africa and tend to be further up north, it’s certainly plausible that one could have travelled south. As far as the green light, it’s surely possible that the green light can be explained by fish as many fish are capable of emitting light. It could even be insects emitting light over the water and in the nighttime, this would be difficult. 

Without question, Mamlambo draws comparisons to Inkanyamba (Read about Inkanyamba here), another African water cryptid that has roots in mythology, but some say is actually real. Some compare Mamlambo to Dobhar-Chu (Read about it here), the Irish Crocodile, but there appears to be more credible sightings that have occurred with Dobhar-Chu.

It seems more likely than not, that based on the low number of sightings, especially with very few if any from Westerners, that Mamlambo is a case of mistaken identity. Still, it’s important to remember only the natives reside in these areas, and they know their land and their waterways. It could entirely be within the realm of possibility that a large, unknown reptilian cryptid lurks in this river.