A 45-year-old man died after a snake bit him on his genitals while he was relieving himself next to some building rubble at his house in Casteel on January 6.
Caiphus Monareng’s wife, who wished not to be named, said the incident occurred at about 18:30. After the snake bit him, it disappeared into the surrounding bushes.
“He shouted for help and I went to check on him; he explained to me what happened. I checked him and saw where the snake had bitten him. I tried to convince him to go to the hospital, but he wished to consult his traditional healer as he assumed it had something to do with witchcraft. His traditional healer insisted that we bring Caiphus to his house so that he can examine him,” she said.
One of the neighbours helped her to take him to the sangoma’s house. She said the sangoma told her to take her husband to the hospital as his own medicine did not work and Monareng was losing consciousness.
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“I called the ambulance and they confirmed it was on its way, but we could not wait for them since he was in pain and I was afraid he would die. I asked my neighbours to transport my husband to the hospital. We met the ambulance on the road and handed him over to the paramedics, but he died on the way to hospital. He was buried on Saturday, February 1,” she said.
Meanwhile, Cockroach Mdluli, a snake catcher of the area, warned people to rush to hospital after a snakebite to be professionally treated.
He said it’s important to identify the kind of snake involved to be able to receive the correct antivenom.
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“For example, a human can collapses within 45 minutes of a black mamba bite. Without treatment, it can take seven to 15 hours to die. The sooner one is treated after a bite, the better the chances of survival. I would like to call on traditional healers not to attend to a patient who has been bitten by a snake,” he said.
Mdluli also said with the hot weather, snakes will creep into houses looking for shelter, food and water.
People need to avoid having heaps of rubble or bricks close to their house, as it attracts rats and snakes.
“Also avoid sitting next to rubble and ensure doors and windows are closed,” he urged.
