KHOISAN activists camping at the Union Buildings in Tshwane had an unwelcome visitor on Saturday night.
As they were relaxing near the Nelson Mandela statue, a snake came slithering past.
Luckily, they quickly saw the creature and caught it. However, the activists have now said they believe someone was trying to chase them away.
They said they were not scared of anything and even if a lion came to them, they would continue to stand up for their rights.
Their leader, Chief Khoisan SA, said: “We are powerful ourselves and we can cause harm. People must respect us.”
The six activists, who have been camping at the Union Buildings for close to two months, said they saw the snake in the area where they sleep.
Khoisan SA said he earlier saw a sangoma walking around.
“On Thursday evening, he sent a strong wind that crushed our tents but the next morning, good Samaritans helped us with new tents.”
He said they would hand the snake over to the SPCA. The Khoisan have been hoping to speak to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Sangoma Humphrey Nkomo said a mamba was not sent by the ancestors but could be used for evil purposes.