2 BROTHERS BITTEN BY BLACK MAMBA SNAKES

HHOHHO - Phiwokwakhe and his brother Njabuliso Tsabedze in hospital after they were bitten by black mamba snakes in different incidents. However, they both survived after being treated. (Pics:Snakes of Eswatini)

MANZINI - In a shocking incident, two brothers are said to have been bitten by black mambas in two different incidents on the same day.

The two Tsabedze brothers are fortunate to be alive after they were attacked and bitten by the snakes last Saturday in northern Hhohho.
They are both currently admitted to the Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital, where they are recuperating.

It has been gathered that due to the unavailability of antivenom at the hospital, the two were rescued one and a half hours later by the Snakes of Eswatini team headed by the founder, Thea Litschka, who drove from Mhlume to the hospital with the vials of the drug. One of the victims, Phiwokwakhe Tsabedze (34), said he was entering his vegetable garden, trying to clear it on the day when he felt a severe burning pain at the back of his leg.

 He said when he looked around, he saw the snake rising from the ground and trying to move back, possibly to attack him again. “I managed to escape and raise the alarm. My sister rushed to the scene with her wrapper (lihiya) which she used to tie my leg. This, she said, would prevent the snake’s venom from spreading and causing more damage,” Phiwokwakhe said. He also revealed that prior to being bitten by the snake, one of his goats had literally resisted to be tied near the garden.

Phiwokwakhe said since one of his brothers were employed by the Fire and Emergency Services, he was immediately contacted and he arrived at their home to rush him to hospital.

 
Blurry

“Upon arrival at hospital, I was weak and my eyes red and already blurry. There was also a lot of swelling and severe pain around the snatebite. I also felt some numbness and tingling around the arms,” Phiwokwakhe said. He mentioned that he was told half an hour later that his other brother, Njabuliso Tsabedze, had also been bitten by a snake.

He said he was informed that he had lost control of his vehicle, a Toyota sedan, which then overturned when the snake attacked him.
It was gathered that since the hospital had no antivenom, the closest Antivenom Bank was in Mbabane and they agreed to assist with their stock. A representative from the Antivenom Bank rushed with the antivenom vials to the hospital to assist the brothers were treated.

Meanwhile, Njabuliso who is in the same ward as his brother, said he was rushing to the hospital in his vehicle when a mamba suddenly emerged below the cabin hole.

Shocked as he was, he said he tried avoiding the snake, however, it struck.
“It bit me twice in the hand and in the leg and at that time, I lost control of the car. Because of the pain and the fact that the snake wanted to bite me even more, I lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road and rolled over a donga. From there I do not know what happened. I was told that other motorists who found the car along the public road rushed me to hospital where I woke up next to my brother,” Njabuliso said.

The brothers thanked the doctors at the hospital and the Snakes of Eswatini team who came to their rescue and provided the antivenom.

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