Black mamba kills 7-year-old

Black-Mamba

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Bulilima boy died after he was bitten by a black mamba while looking for lost donkeys in the bush with his 16-year-old brother.

Tjaguta Village head, Mr Simon Moyo, said Thabani Sibanda died soon after the attack.

He said the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Tjaguta Village in Nswazi area which falls under his jurisdiction.

“There is a seven-year-old boy who was bitten by a black mamba on Tuesday afternoon. He had accompanied his elder brother Thamsanqa Sibanda to search for lost donkeys when the incident happened.

“The boy died moments after he was bitten. His elder brother carried him to a nearby homestead to seek help but it was already too late,” said Mr Moyo.

He said as Thamsanqa was leaving home at around 3PM to look for the donkeys, his younger brother insisted on accompanying him.

Mr Moyo said Thamsanqa tried to evade his younger brother, insisting that he would delay him but their grandmother persuaded him to take him along.

He said along the way Thabani started complaining that he was tired and he rested underneath a tree on a grassy patch. Mr Moyo said few minutes later, Thamsanqa noticed that there was a snake lying close to where his brother was seated.

“Thamsanqa remained standing and allowed his younger brother to rest under a tree for a while. He noticed that there was a snake close to where his brother was seated and warned him about its presence.

“Thabani panicked and as he stood up to run away stepped on the snake and it bit him. The place where Thabani was seated had long grass and maybe that’s why he failed to see the snake on time,” said Mr Moyo.

He said moments later, Thabani’s condition deteriorated as he became weak and his skin turned black. He said Thabani started complaining that he could not breathe or move his body.

“Thamsanqa realised that his brother’s condition was deteriorating fast and he carried him and rushed to the nearest homestead to seek help as they were in a bushy area.

“A few minutes after leaving the scene, Thabani lost consciousness and by the time they reached the closest homestead he was already dead,” said Mr Moyo.—@DubeMatutu

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