NEWS & ANALYSIS

"My fight with a monster cobra!" – Daily Sun

"It was the snake’s life or mine, says Wisani" – front page lead, July 29 2015

Daily Sun (July 29 2015) - THE big snake was poised to strike with its killer venom.

Wisani knew he faced agonising death.  BUT HE PROVED THE REPTILE WAS NO MATCH FOR A BRAVE FATHER. “I hit it four times on the head with my spade and that killed it,” he said after his life and death struggle.

Wisani Nwayila showed the SunTeam the body of the 1,8 metre Mozambican Spitting Cobra that nearly took his life. Two months ago, the brave 37-year-old motor mechanic killed two pythons that were terrorising his chickens every night at his home in Qaza village outside Malamulele, Limpopo. But this highly poisonous snake nearly widowed his wife Gladys (37) and orphaned his daughters Nsovo (16), Nkoka Nwayıla (9) and Tomy (4).

Wisani described how he ran to see what was happening when he heard his chickens shrieking in fear on Monday afternoon. That’s when he came face to face with the venomous snake.  “I knew I had to act before it killed them all,” he said.

The snake fixed its cold and angry eyes on Wisani, waiting for the right moment to strike.  “I grabbed a spade and killed it,” he said.

Asked if he suspected evil might be behind the snakes coming to his home, he said: “Somebody might be out there to kill me and my family.  “I think it’s high time that I consulted a

prophet or an inyanga to find out if the snakes are meant for evil or not. “I need to find out before somebody dies.”

 The Mozambican Spitting Cobra eats mainly small creatures like birds, frogs, birds and lizards, but it can easily kill creatures much bigger than itself.

Its bite can cause agonising death if left untreated. The creature’s venom destroys body tissue and causes extreme pain and swelling.

See the Daily Sun’s new website for more on this and other stories....

 

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