Snake bite incites service delivery protest
Colville residents demanded that Sol Plaatje Municipality clean the overgrown canal which they believe is a breeding ground for snakes. Picture: Danie van der Lith Colville residents demanded that Sol Plaatje Municipality clean the overgrown canal which they believe is a breeding ground for snakes. Picture: Danie van der Lith
Kimberley - A 52-year-old Kimberley man was bitten by a snake and is now fighting for his life in Kimberley Hospital’s intensive care unit, prompting Colville residents to take to the streets on Thursday in a protest calling for service delivery and a clean-up of the area by the Sol Plaatje Municipality.
Arthur Swanepoel was on Thursday still in a critical condition in Kimberley Hospital’s ICU ward after being bitten by a snake, believed by residents to be a cobra, on Monday.
According to the residents, Swanepoel was bitten on the hand after he got between the snake and a group of children.
Colville residents demanded that Sol Plaatje Municipality clean the overgrown canal which they believe is a breeding ground for snakes. Picture: Danie van der Lith
Family members of Swanepoel, who were on Thursday gathered around his hospital bed, said that they had “little hope” of Swanepoel recovering, as he was already “being kept alive by machines”.
Swanepoel’s nephew, Vernon Moss, said that “there is nothing more that can be done for my uncle now”.
Meanwhile, Colville residents on Thursday blocked roads and burnt tyres in the area adjacent to a canal that they say has become a “breeding ground for deadly snakes”.
“This canal has become a danger to our children and residents, with one man now fighting for his life. We call on the Sol Plaatje Municipality to come and clear this canal which is so overgrown in places that it is not even visible anymore,” one Colville resident stated.
Another added that several incidents involving snakes had occurred in the suburb.
“Snakes in Colville are now a daily occurrence with several residents regularly finding them in their cupboards and even in their beds. The man who was bitten should be considered a hero, as he protected young children from being bitten by trying to kill the snake which was already in a yard at the time. He stepped between the snake and a group of young children and the snake bit him on his hand,” one woman said.
Residents also demanded that the area receive basic services, like sewage removal and electricity, something they say the Sol Plaatje Municipality has “promised” for the last five years.
Sol Plaatje Municipality executive mayor, Mangaliso Matika, arrived at the scene at around lunchtime and instructed protesters to clear the burning rubble and tyres, in order to allow vehicles to use the road.
Matika’s spokesperson, Gregory Seleke, said that while the issue of snakes was “beyond the control of the municipality”, the mayor had deployed cleaning crews to the area, who were on Thursday in the process of clearing the canal. Seleke added that they were still to meet with Swanepoel and his family and would comment after the meeting.