Elderly woman dies after bitten by Cape cobra
Snake found in Nomasomi Nyelela’s bedroom
The tragic death of an elderly villager after she was bitten by a highly venomous Cape cobra has highlighted a number of issues.
Nomasomi Nyelela, 70, died last Thursday, after being bitten while in her bedroom during the middle of the night.
The autopsy results showed that venom was the cause of death.
It appears load-shedding played a role as the victim could not see anything at the time she was bitten, at about 1am.
A snake expert said an environment where food was not sealed could attract rats, which snakes preyed on.
Ensome Village residents are calling on the government to assist after a spike in snake sightings in the area.
One of Nyelela’s neighbours, Nosamkelo Booi, said she was woken up at 3am and told that Nyelela had collapsed and died from what Booi at first believed was a spider bite.
Booi said Nyelela had been with her 16-year-old grandson when the incident occurred.
“The boy said he was woken up by his grandmother who said a spider had bitten her.
“But when they searched the bed they could not find it.
“Shortly after his grandmother got up and went to the lounge, she began to feel weak, started foaming at the mouth and collapsed and died instantly on the floor.”
Booi said the youth was afraid of going out during loadshedding and alerted neighbours after 3am when the power returned.
She said a forensic official had determined the wound was likely caused by a snake bite.
“The snake was found in Nyelela’s bedroom in the evening and was killed.”
She said there had been a number of snakes discovered in the area and people were gripped with fear.
“That type of snake was killed at a local store and in houses in the neighbourhood.
“A man was bitten on his thumb and people said he survived because no venom was released.
“I witnessed a group of snakes going towards my neighbour’s garden, and a day later another snake was found underneath a chair in the church,” Booi said.
Khayalethu Nonyongo, the ward councillor for the area, said he had been told of many snake bite incidents in the villages of Ensome, Who Can Tell and Marino Walk.
“These used to be farms before they were occupied by residents in 1991,” he said.
“Just recently, a man walking to the fields was bitten by a snake and died on the spot in Marino Walk.
“It is not uncommon for the people of these areas to be killed by snakes.
“Who Can Tell Village has seen several people bitten by snakes, some of whom died,” he said.
He said they had attempted to get help from the health department to no avail.
Tim de Jong, a former biodiversity assistant manager in the provincial department of economic development, environmental affairs & tourism said the Cape cobra was among the most venomous snakes in SA.
De Jong said: “The venom is potently neurotoxic causing progressive weakness and may affect breathing rapidly.
“Victims need urgent hospitalisation and in a severe bite, antivenom is essential.
“It is by far our most dangerous cobra and, with the Black Mamba, it accounts for the majority of fatal snake bites in SA.”
If it felt threatened, the Cape Cobra would stand its ground, form a hood and strike.
“The Cape Cobra is easily confused with the mole snake and the black spitting Cobra.”
De Jongh said the snake was largely found in the Cape provinces but also in the Free State and North West provinces and southern Botswana and Namibia.
He said the snakes were attracted by rats in residential areas, which were drawn to food.
De Jongh said: “Mechanical ventilation and symptom management is often enough to save a victim’s life, but cases of serious Cape cobra envenomation require antivenom. When death does occur, it is often a result of respiratory failure, due to the onset of paralysis.”
He said Nyelela had suffered a severe bite with a large amount of venom.