Man bites snake to death

There was drama in Epworth on Monday when a Zinatha-registered sangoma dived and bit a snake to death.

Sekuru Mangondo, real name Richard Shanu (35), of Makangira homestead in Z area of Epworth was called to task after an approximately two-metre long black mamba had sent shivers down the spines of vegetable farmers in the area.

The snake was seen in Kenneth Muwawa's garden, and he confirmed that it was a danger to his life.

"I have been seeing the snake in my garden since October last year, and it was making work difficult for me. I approached this man who said I should call him whenever I see it, so the moment I saw it I then called him,' he said.

Mangondo dived and bit the dangerous reptile in a manner onlookers described as a 'cat style'.

"He dived at the snake and he bit it with his teeth. For a moment I thought he had died because the snake rolled right around his neck but after that, he stood up and the snake was motionless. When the snake appeared, we tried attacking it with stones but it was resistant and it also tried to fight us back. What surprised us is that Mangondo used his teeth to kill it," said one of the onlookers, Troy Muchenje.

Muwawa said he is a prominent vegetable farmer, supplying the greater part of Epworth and suspected that some people were sending the snake to disrupt his work.

"I'm a well known farmer, and I suspect someone was trying to disturb my work. This snake has been troubling me since last year and I'm happy that I can finally work in peace," he said.

Sekuru Mangondo said the snake was the work of the jealous people who were trying to disrupt Muwawa's activities. He revealed that he was a registered  healer and is gifted with the spirit of healing and retrieving strange things like vipers.

"I'm a registered healer with ZINATHA and my services are not paid for but you pay my spirit. It was revealed to me that someone has been fighting this man and I have not yet told the person but they will come out. Chero ane nyoka yake kana vanetwsa ne zvikara zvakadii ngavandifonere ndivabatsire (anyone who is being troubled by his own snake or anything other creature should just get in touch with me and I will help him)," he said.

Sekuru Mangondo demonstrated how he had killed the snake with his teeth. While the people in the area believed in the sangoma, there has been a rise in the case of traditional healers stage managing these events to dupe unsuspecting people into giving them 'healing business'.