Dead cobra found with boy's photos close to its head

There was mayhem in Matienge Village of Chigodora in Chief Zimunya's area of Mutare District last week when a 2-metre-long dead COBRA was found by the road side near a homestead with three passport-sized photos of a primary school boy close to the reptile's head.

There were also claims that the other two photos of the same size, which were placed near the snake's tail had mysteriously vanished, leaving the villagers with all sort of tales, but no-one owning up to the origins of the deadly reptile. Two big stones were placed on the stretched snake, while its head was resting on a small one, which some villagers quipped was its pillow.

It was the photographs of the young boy that were found close to the snake that raised a lot of curiosity. Some were of the opinion that the snake was on a mission to harm the boy whose photos were next to its head, while others said the owner was no longer interested in its services and decided to terminate its life but could not explain the snake's link with the photos.

An elderly villager, aged 77, said: "This is stranger than fiction. I have been staying in this village since 1962 and I have never witnessed such a spine-chilling incident. This is not a natural phenomenon, If it is a natural thing then how come the photos are not being blown away by wind? How come the snake is not rotting or emitting any bad smell since it was first discovered on Saturday?"

Another villager whose homestead is just 50 metres away from where the cobra was found, could not explain what had taken place.

"I was at home when a passerby called us to come and see this weak-kneeing incident. At first the snake was left coiled just next to my yard and three photographs of the boy were near its head, while two other photos of the same person were near its tail. We were afraid to go near it. On Sunday we discovered that the snake had been removed from where it was the previous day to where it is now. We do not even know who is doing this. The photos that were near its tail have disappeared," he said.

A debate ensued over how the snake should be disposed, as some people suggested that it should be burnt while others argued that if people inhale the smoke coming from the burning snake, it would harm them. So the villagers eventually agreed to 'bury' the snake. Fear engulfed the villagers who were present such that after the hole had been dug no one at first was willing to throw the snake inside.

Efforts to trace the whereabouts of the boy whose photos were found next to the snake were fruitless as the villagers were reluctant t0o give details, but only said someone had positively identified the boy as a primary school boy at a nearby school.

When contacted for comment, the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (ZINATHA) secretary-general, Mr Alex Mashoko, said this was a clear case of witchcraft.

"Snakes are used by evil people to work for them. This shows that this snake was on a mission. Where did the photos come from? This is not a natural happening. As an association we can assist in finding a lasting solution to this problem, but it is not easy to get rid of such reptiles that will be on a mission. The best way is to burn the snakes because merely disposing it in a hole will not assist as another one will come out and cause mayhem in the area. We also advise that after burning them, water, salt and maize-meal should be sprinkled on it to completely destroy the reptiles," he said.