‘Prophet’ spitting mad over snakes in her new house
COBRA PLAGUE: MAMELODI EAST RESIDENT’S HOME INVADED, SEEKS URGENT HELP
Woman begs metro to relocate her, while expert says it might just be the reptiles’ mating season.
Aprophet from Mamelodi East is spewing venom over snakes that have invaded her home. Susan Mahlangu, from Thabeng ye Kgolo, in Mamelodi East, said she lived in fear day and night of being bitten by the snakes.
The 51-year-old explained that the snakes have taken over and would crawl into her house at any time of the day or night.
Mahlangu said her problem started when the Tshwane metro relocated her to Skierlik from Extension 11 in 2015.
She had asked city officials for a stand at the back of the village because of her work. The problems started when she was finally allocated a stand.
After a week from moving into the area, she noticed a cobra crawling out of the rocks in her backyard, and she killed it immediately.
“The following week a cobra went after a rat and disappeared under my bed.
“I thought this was because the place was new and they would be gone soon, but I was fooling myself.”
She claims the problem is so bad that she kills a snake every month and spots a new one almost every day, either in her shack or among the big rocks in her yard.
Earlier this year, a contractor who was hired to work on Mahlangu’s floor hastily ran off when he lifted the carpet and discovered one of the snakes.
“He immediately rolled back the carpet and said ‘thank you for the job’ and left. He was clearly terrified,” she said.
When Mahlangu turned to her neighbours for help to kill the snakes they refused to enter her shack.
“They came but did not enter the shack. I later heard some saying because I was a prophet, the snake was mine. Why would I call people to come help me and embarrass myself if the snake was mine?”
Mahlangu has now begged the metro to move her, but without any success. She says she desperately needs help.
Hencke Marais, a snake expert at the Tshwane nature reserve said this was not unusual because snakes hid under rocks.
“This is not a unique situation. Maybe the snakes are there because of a mating season,” said Marais.