Meet Zimbabwe's own snake charmer

With every video he posts on Facebook the fame of Chawatama Marimo, or Chawa as he is commonly known, has increased as thousands of eyes marvel at his mystifying skills.

While Zimbabweans have seen the likes of famed Australian crocodile hunter Steve Irwin seemingly dicing with death as they handle some of the world's deadliest animals, few locals have managed to tame, on camera, some of the abundant wildlife that the country enjoys.

Thus TV channels like National Geographic are where viewers eager to see close expert human interaction with nature have turned.

Chawa, whose total views on videos rival some of the country's social media stars has, however, become a star in his own right on social media.



A brief view of his video gallery reveals Chawa's encounters with some of nature's creepy crawlies, as he wrestles with the largest snakes and charms the small but most venomous ones.

While he has wowed many with his rare skills, Chawa's mastery of wildlife did not come easy. Along the way the baby faced 43-year-old had to battle to earn his keep, particularly in a country where those with such a fondness for some of nature's fearsome creatures of the wild are deemed evil.

"In our culture a person like me is considered a witch or wizard of some sort. People have said a lot of things about me but I'm not fazed by it at all. My goal is to educate my fellow brothers and sisters because I believe nothing was made by accident and everything exists for a purpose. I always say that if all the snakes were to disappear the human race would soon follow," said Chawa.

While viewers might see him as the ultimate snake charmer, Chawa's flirtation with the cold-blooded serpents is a by-product of his overall love affair with nature.

"As a kid at school I would usually be caught day dreaming about nature at school because water, trees and animals fascinated me. Teachers didn't understand me and since I'm left handed this made it worse. After leaving school in 1991 I moved to Mazowe and lived in the bush for some years trying to start a career in mining. That is where I had numerous encounters with wild animals especially snakes and I began teaching myself about them. I would read many books about them and soon I was catching pythons and other non venomous snakes," he said.

Chawa who caught his first snake, a cobra, at 19 said that although he might look like he enjoyed his tangles with snakes, he derived the most pleasure from catching them only when necessary.

"One thing that I never did and up to this day my golden rule is never to catch snakes for fun but do so only when it is necessary," he said.

When one has such close contact with such venom- packed customers, they are bound to come face to face with death at some point. Chawa said one bite from a snake had left him knocking on death's door.

"Yes, I have had very close calls and I have been bitten by a venomous snake. But I was lucky to come out of hospital still ok," he said.

While few would envy Chawa's chosen trade, his job also brings heartache to his family that knows that he will be in close proximity to death whenever he closes the front door behind him every morning. Chawa is married with two children, a girl (9) and a boy (5).

"My wife and kids are very supportive although I know they do fear for my safety. They have always known me for my adventurous ways my passion for adventure. My motto in life is that the biggest risk you can take in life is not taking any risks at all," he said.

Although he is a self confessed adrenaline junky Chawa, who does not drink or smoke, said that the foundation for his future career was laid in his early youth.

"People think I will be under some sort of influence when they see me catching snakes or racing cars but I don't drink or smoke. As a youth I was very different to other boys as I didn't or never had the drive to go to bars, clubs or gatherings and up to now I prefer to spend my day alone," he said.