A python that nearly attacked a village herd boy was killed in Mapuve Village outside Giyani in Limpopo.
Makhari-khari Chemist Lebea told Daily Sun that he was going towards his farm when he heard the voice of a man crying for help.
“I heard the screams just a few metres from my farm and I immediately ran towards the side, and found a python which had just attacked Atonia Chauke.”
The chemist says that he took out a panga and started fighting the python.
“It stopped attacking Atonio and focused on me. I have killed many pythons, so I didn’t have much fear and my dogs were helping me as well.
“I managed to neutralise it by cutting it with a panga. I don’t know what would have happened had I not been around.”
Lebea says that he is going to skin the python and sell its fat to the sangomas who use it as muthi.
"The fats are good medicine to heal people with hearing defects, so many sangomas buy it."
Atonio Chauke (22), a herdsman who hails from Mozambique, was very thankful for the bravery of Chemist.
“I owe my life to him for rescuing me, I would be dead by now if it wasn’t for him.”
The local SPCA officer Ronny Chavalala says that there are many pythons in the bush as it’s the season for mopane worms.
"It is dangerous to be alone in the bush especially now that it’s time for mopane worms and the pythons are hunting for food. People have to be extra careful. A hungry python will definitely attempt to kill you," he said.
"It is heroic that Lebea has saved Chauke because in a normal situation it was going to be very difficult to even locate him. A python was going to swallow him."
