During the period between January and April 1997, as many as nine deaths had been attributed to the Mamlambo. According to police, the victims had been in the water a while and had the soft parts of their heads and neck eaten by crabs; local villagers, on the other hand, claimed that these mutilations had been caused by the mamlambo's habit of eating faces and brains. For this reason, the Mamlambo is often referred to as "the Brain Sucker".
From January to April 1997, there were up to nine deaths attributed to the Mamlambo. Police reported that victims had been in the water for a while and their soft head and neck parts were eaten by crabs; local villagers believed these mutilations were due to the Mamlambo's habit of consuming faces and brains. Consequently, the Mamlambo is often called "the Brain Sucker".