The snake managed to bite the worker on his right hand index finger, through his glove, whilst he was busy working.
Fellow workers managed to take a photo of the snake before it disappeared between rocks.
Arthur Roden, of the National Council of South African Reptile Rescue Units (NSARRU) was called to the scene by Life24 EMRS paramedics to help identify the snake.
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Although it was difficult to identify the snake from the photo, the man’s symptoms indicated that it was a stiletto snake.
Charl Blake, of Life24, said the man complained of severe pain, a stiff neck and dry throat.
The stiletto snake has horizontal fangs pointing diagonally towards the corners of the mouth.
The snake usually hunts underground by simply protruding its fangs when it is next to its prey, to stab it.
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There is no antivenom for a stiletto snake bite and patients have to be treated symptomatically. If bitten on the hand as in this case, the bite can result in the patient losing fingers.
The patient was rushed to the Life Cosmos Hospital in eMalahleni for treatment. He was discharged two days later.
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