City man dies from snake bite
THE COMMUNITY of Colville in Kimberley has reacted with anger after a 52-year-old man who was bitten by a snake died after being in ICU for four days, this despite previous pleas to the Sol Plaatje Municipality to have the area cleared and cleaned up.
Colville resident Arthur Swanepoel, 52, was admitted to Kimberley Hospital last Monday after he was bitten by a Cape cobra after he sought to prevent the snake from “attacking” local children.
He died, after being in ICU, late on Thursday night.
After Swanepoel was admit- ted to hospital last week, Colville residents took to the streets in protest in an effort to have the Sol Plaatje Municipality clear a canal which the residents say has become a “breeding ground for deadly snakes” in the area.
Swanepoel’s wife, Francina Swanepoel, said yesterday that it was a “miracle” that her husband had lived for four days after being bitten by the highly venomous snake.
She added that her husband died a “hero” after protecting young children from being bitten by the snake.
Francina said that her husband’s hand and entire arm had become extremely swollen and had turned pitch black after the bite.
While she thanked the Kimberley Hospital staff for the “excellent work they did for her husband”, she slammed the Northern Cape provincial emergency services for “never showing up” after community members phoned them to collect Swanepoel after he was bitten.
“Until now, they have not arrived and if it wasn’t for a private ambulance my husband would have been dead soon after the incident,” Francina said.
Meanwhile, the Sol Plaatje Municipality did respond to calls to have the area cleared of bushes and shrubs on Thursday last week, but residents said this was a case of “too little, too late”.
“Why must a person first die before they answer our calls of 15 years to have this hazardous canal, which has become a breeding ground for snakes, spiders and even likkewaan, cleared?”
The residents added that snake sightings had become a daily occurrence in the area - falling from roofs, arriving on doorsteps and even being found in beds.
“We want that canal paved, so as to prevent these snakes from posing a threat to our community and making our lives a misery. We are living scared, as we don’t even have electricity and lights to check our houses for snakes. We also have no toilets and have to use the veld, which has become infested with snakes,” they said.
The community vowed to take to the streets again in protest after Swanepoel’s funeral and said that they would “not rest” until the issue of the canal is addressed and the threat of snakes in Colville is eliminated.
Swanepoel leaves behind seven children and his funeral will be held on Saturday.