The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
A GRADE Three pupil at Chipangayi Primary School in Chipinge was on Monday bitten to death by a venomous black mamba (rovambira) snake as he returned home from school.
The poisonous reptile, measuring about two metres attacked a hapless Macdonald Simango (8) on the right ankle as it emerged from a nearby sugarcane estate.
The boy succumbed to its deadly poison three hours after admission at Chipinge District Hospital, where doctors are said to have delayed administering an anti-venom drug on him.
Macdonald’s mother, Mrs Fan Nhengwa, was shocked by her son’s death.
She said her son was rushed to hospital on time, but claimed that authorities at the hospital had not given him the required medication at the time of his death.
“Macdonald was returning from school in the company of five other children around 3pm — when the unsuspicious children stepped on the snake. This provoked the black mamba, which then bite Macdonald on his right leg.
“They then rushed back to school and lodged a report to the deputy head (one Mr Mtisi), who summoned for help and then proceeded to the scene where they eventually stoned the reptile to death. “The school head, a Mr Mokore, rushed Macdonald to Chipinge District Hospital using his car. The nurses and doctors attended to my son and administered acloxacini and hydrocortisone drugs on him, and this
normalised his condition briefly.
“They advised me that they will not further attend to him since his condition had normalised. His condition suddenly deteriorated and he died. He was supposed to receive an anti-venom drug, but it was too late. I hope if they had administered that drug earlier my son would be alive,” said Mrs Nhengwa.
Efforts to get a comment from the hospital were fruitless. According to online research, a black mamba is one of the longest and deadliest snakes in the world. It is the longest species of venomous snake in Africa and the second in the world.
Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous and when threatened are highly aggressive. Adult black mamba can reaches 2,5m long.
Oddly the black mamba is not black at all, but brown or olive in colour. The name comes from the inky black mouth they show when threatened.
The black mamba can strike up to 12 times in quick succession-delivering enough neuro and cardio-toxic venom to kill over a dozen men.
The venom takes effect in few minutes and can cause paralysis, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
