Ester Hakaala
Paulus Shiku
Isai Sipunga
A discovery of slither marks in the schoolyard near the staff room led to an investigation. However, there were no signs of a snake anywhere or an indication of what species it was yet. Despite being expected to love, coexist and take care of snakes, in African communities, the presence of a snake sends shockwaves down spines, the first thing that comes to mind is to get rid of it forever.
Teachers at Oshikondeilwa Primary School in Eengodi constituency in the Oshikoto region were left concerned after they learned that what they are dealing with a week later, is an African black mamba estimated to be about 2.5 metres long.
Considered to be one of the smartest reptiles, the mamba found its way inside their staff room, perhaps prompted by the presence of rodents and wanted to hunt. This prompted the school management to seek assistance from community
members to locate and kill the highly
venomous snake.
Hango Simon, a teacher at the school, narrated the story to New Era.
“We saw the snake tracks the other week. We did not know whether it was heading towards the staff room or whether it had come from inside the staff room. We searched everywhere, but we could not locate it,” Simon said.
He explained that rain during the week made it difficult to follow the tracks, leaving teachers uncertain about whether the snake had left the premises or was still hiding inside the building. However, when staff members returned after the weekend, they discovered what appeared to be the same tracks inside the staff room, prompting another search.
After failing to locate the snake on their own, the teachers called on community members to help them search for the premises. Their efforts eventually led to the discovery of a black mamba hiding in a box of books.
Although the school is situated in an area where encounters with snakes are not unusual in the surrounding community, Simon said this was the first time staff members had experienced such an incident on the school premises. He said the situation was particularly concerning because the school does not have antivenom or other emergency medical resources specifically available in the event of a snakebite.
“We do not have anything,” he said when asked whether the school had antivenom in case a teacher or learner was bitten.
Simon said the decision to kill the snake was made after the teachers and community members struggled to find it and faced limited options for obtaining professional assistance.
He explained that the school is far from the nearest town, making it difficult to secure a quick response from snake catchers or relevant authorities. “We live far from town. If you call someone now, they might take time to come, and we must continue with classes,” Simon said.
He added that the intention was not necessarily to kill the snake, but staff members were concerned about the potential danger of leaving it inside the school building, particularly because they did not know where it might hide or how it might behave.
Simon said the snake was killed using a stick after community members found it inside the box of books. As the books were removed, one of the individuals struck the snake and continued hitting it when it attempted to escape. It is believed that despite its length, a mature black mamba can hide in a specific place by coiling itself there, making it difficult to spot, especially the head, it will not respond to nearby movement until someone touches it.
Beyond the immediate danger posed by the snake, Simon said the incident had highlighted the poor condition of the school’s facilities, which he believes make it easier for snakes and other potentially dangerous animals to enter the building, adding that the storeroom is in poor condition, with structures made from corrugated iron sheets and a door that is not properly constructed.
Simon appealed to the ministry of education to assist the school with proper buildings, saying improved infrastructure could help prevent snakes from entering classrooms and staff facilities.
“If the government could give us nice structures, it would help. Maybe the snake could come closer, but it couldn’t get inside,” he said. He also called on relevant authorities responsible for forestry and wildlife to provide communities with information about available snake-catching services and where to seek assistance in the event of similar incidents. Our team sought the input of snake catcher Sean Naude who said the shortage of trained snake catchers, particularly in northern Namibia and rural communities, is contributing to the killing of snakes during encounters with people. Naude said Namibia has very few people trained to handle and relocate snakes safely, leaving many communities with limited options when the reptiles enter homes, schools or other buildings.
“In Namibia, snake catchers are still at a very low rate, especially in the north of Namibia. We don’t have many snake catchers,” he said.
Naude said more than 90% of snake encounters in northern Namibia reportedly end with the animals being killed, largely because of fear, a lack of knowledge and the limited availability of trained handlers.
He said snakes play an important role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling rodents and other small animals, warning that killing them could contribute to an increase in rodent populations, potentially creating further problems for communities.
Although snake-catching organisations and private volunteers operate in towns such as Windhoek, Okahandja and Otjiwarongo, Naude said rural areas remain underserved.
He further called on the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to train more people in snake handling and expand public education programmes to help communities understand the importance of snakes and respond safely to encounters.
-isipunga@nepc.com.na
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