‘Snakes can’t protect you when your time has come’ – Mmusi Maimane

Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane has weighed in on a conversation around snakes, seemingly after one was “spotted” on the same road as former Parliamentary Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s house.

Mapisa-Nqakula appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to apply for bail concerning 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The charges involve R4.5 million dating back to her time as defence minister.

READ MORE: Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to make first court appearance – NPA to request ‘substantial’ bail

Video of her convoy reportedly leaving her home on its way to her handing herself over to police, showed it passing what some thought was a snake.

Social media users were quick to “point out” the reptile and speculated about it and Mapisa-Nqakula’s legal woes.

As the term “snake” shot up the trends list, Maimane joined the conversation.

Without mentioning Mapisa-Nqakula and her legal challenges, the politician wrote: “Snakes can’t protect you when your time has come.”

READ MORE: WATCH: Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula hands herself over to police, expected to apply for bail

He followed this up with a picture of a snake coloured green, black, and yellow – colours shared with the ANC.

“The biggest snake that we must get rid of is the green and yellow python suffocating this economy,” Maimane added, without mentioning the ruling party.

Trying to avoid prison

In a 46-page bail application affidavit read by her lawyer Graham Kerr-Phillip in court, Mapisa-Nqakula referred to the “dire” conditions she hoped to avoid in South Africa’s prisons.

Despite serving as Correctional Services Minister previously, she said systemic failure by the government had led to prisons being unsafe, lacking proper medical care, and incapable of any form of rehabilitation.

“Applying the concept of system failure, South African prisons do not have the facilities available to make provision for my safety and security.”