“Gabriel was a lovely guy and a family man”

Capt. Johan “Pottie” Potgieter, who led the police dive unit, said: “I don’t want to go into too much detail but there was enough inside the stomach to lead us to believe the crocodile ate the missing man. But we will have to wait until the DNA results come back to confirm it,” according to VT.

He added: “Besides having a massively full tummy, he didn’t move around or try to slip into the river despite the noise of the drones and the chopper.”

Whether Batista drowned before being eaten by the crocodile or was killed during the attack remains unclear.

Batista owned the local Border Country Inn and sports bar in the area, and those close to him described him as a beloved family man.

“Gabriel was a lovely guy and a family man… he spent a lot of time up here and customers loved him,” a spokesman said, according to VT.

“He lived in Johannesburg but owned this guest house and bar and spent a lot of time here and was on his way to work on Monday when he was just swept away.

“The family do not want to say anything until the DNA results have been done. It is just terrible and his wife has been here every day with the police diving team.

“It is a nightmare but at the moment there is no family comment.”