"I’d hand over the keys": South Africans joke about black mamba at residential home

• Wild Marik filmed a large black mamba climbing through a security gate at a residential home's entrance
• The snake handler's point-of-view clip sparked a debate about what South Africans would actually do in that situation
• Viewers flooded the comments with everything from humour to genuine fear over the unexpected encounter

A snake handler got more than he bargained for on 15 October when he arrived at a residential home and found a large black mamba already at the door. Wild Marik, known for documenting wildlife encounters, filmed the moment as the mamba wound its way through the burglar-bar security gate at the entrance.

The footage captured the handler's relaxed but cautious tone as he speaks directly to the camera. "What are you going to do if you come home and one of the most venomous snakes in Africa is just currently doing this?" he asks, with the mamba clearly visible and entirely unbothered by the audience it had gathered.

The black mamba is widely regarded as one of the deadliest snakes on the continent, known for its speed, aggression when cornered, and highly potent venom. Wild Marik's video of a black mamba navigating a front entrance would be enough to stop most people in their tracks, and that is exactly what made the clip spread quickly online. Watch the black mamba make its way through the security gate:

Mzansi mortified by black mamba

South Africans in the comments had plenty to say, with most landing firmly on the side of retreat:

@Luisa Malave Vink said:

"What to do if you come home and the black mamba is there? Easy, just hand over the keys and find a new place to live 🫠"

@Vuyisile Vuyie Nodada replied:

"Definitely, that's my immediate eviction notice"

@Joke Kopper shared:

"I'll run like the devil is behind me 😁 and then I'll call a snake catcher"

@Joseph Lesole warned:

"Call a professional, that noodle is a delete button. We call it a shortcut to heaven. That looks like a black mamba"

@Jeanette Fouche Dreyer asked:

"How high can a mamba climb? I live on the 8th floor in a complex. May my biggest fear never materialise"

@Pieter Harmse offered a different view:

"I will be so pleased to have an encounter like this. Look how the snake is actually minding its own business."

@Julie Esquino added:

"I will just die. Encountered a black mamba before, and it is the scariest thing when it lifts two thirds of its body to defend itself."

Other Briefly News stories about black mambas

• Professional snake catcher Mfezi Victor went viral after extracting an agitated black mamba hidden among old appliances in a lodge's storage area in Springbokvlakte, Limpopo.
• Footage shared by snake enthusiast page Slangboere showed a large black mamba draped over the rim of a corrugated metal water tank on a South African farm.
• A viral video captured the terrifying moment a black mamba reared up and stood its ground on an outdoor dirt path, coiling defensively before striking toward handlers.

Source: Briefly News

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