The legendary Kaaiman

The Buffelsjag River is said to be the home of the mythical Kaaiman creatures. These are described as being half human half fish, somewhat like the mermaid legends.
They are said to be malevolent with glowing red eyes and they attempt to drown their victims. The belief is held strongly by locals who can point out several unmarked graves of people who had been lured to a watery death.

These legendary creatures are known in other parts of the country, particularly in the Karoo in rivers and rock pools. “mermaids are seen sitting on rocks combing their hair. They appear to be in the form of women who lure passersby closer in order to grab them and drown them.

This is the stuff of mythology, but perhaps not. A family who was picnicking on the banks of the river late one evening in January 2008 had an uncommon experience. One of the men heard a sound like someone bashing against a wall. He went to see what the noise was when he saw a figure that looked like a white woman with long black hair thrashing about in the water. He immediately felt a need to save her, but as he waded towards her she looked around and he saw her red glowing eyes. He was unable to move as it seemed as if he was hypnotized but he called for his friends to come and see. The man’s friends confirmed what he saw and reported the creature making the strangest sound like sorrowful crying. There have been reports of several sightings in the last 50 years and local elders in Suurbraak can tell stories dating back several generations about sightings of the creature.