‘I just focus on what I’m doing’ says Manase, 17
Teenager Manase Plaatjie says he used to watch NatGeo Wild and was about 16 years old when he saw someone handling a snake and thought, “I’d like to do that”.
“So I asked Jan [Blom, Nemato Change a Life founder] to buy a pair of tongs.
“He said, ‘You aren’t a snake handler just because you have tongs. Would you like to go on a course?’”
The answer was a definite yes, and so 17-year-old Manase was sent to Johannesburg for a snake recognition course and then to Butterfly World in the Western Cape for an intensive snakehandling boot camp.
After that, he did an online course and with the help of herpetologist Johan Marais, obtained a permit to rescue and release snakes. A set of tongs and a special plastic box for keeping snakes en route to their release followed.
The first snake he rescued was a 1.2m boomslang in Tyala Street, near Nemato Change a Life. The second one was a Natal green snake.
“It was near where I stay and I heard screaming and shouting,” he said.
He ran and found people trying to kill the snake.
“I told them it was harmless and grabbed it. I had to ask for transport to go and release it though.”
Does he ever get scared?
“Kind of. But that’s when you focus on what you’re doing.”
And where is this all going?
“I want to know more,” he said. “I want to see for myself how different snakes behave not just watch on YouTube or read about it.”
Nelson Mandela University’s Diploma in Nature Conservation is Manase’s target.
And then, “I’d love to open a snake park here in Port Alfred, so I can teach people about snakes.”