The Speeding Donkey

Originally distributed August 2009

Swazi newspapers are hilarious. They’re like a 3-way cross between The Washington Post, The Onion, and the Inquirer. Some articles are informative and newsworthy. Others are like tabloid gossip, but still somehow entertaining, and some pieces are so crazy they seem unreal.

The story I’d like to highlight for you is unfortunately a tragedy, but the way it was written I couldn’t help but laugh. A donkey was being led by a 9 yr old girl to get water. The girl was going to fill some water jugs at a nearby stream and transport them back to her homestead using the donkey. For some reason the donkey was not in the mood so it decided to run off. Unfortunately, the young girl had tied the rope that was attached to the donkey around her neck. So you cam imagine what happened when the donkey took off.

Here are a few quotes from the article:

“…donkey outruns residents and motorists for a kilometre.”

 “The speeding donkey dragged the girl into the thick bush and into rocky surfaces and injuring her in the process.”

“They ordered that a doctor be called to inspect what might have caused the animal to behave in such a manner.”