By Agreement Mabunda
VLEIFONTEIN-In the black community, it is taboo for someone to own or perhaps share a house with a snake.
But for Denzel Ncube from Vleifontein Village outside Louis Trichard, he is used to the general public reactions when they see him catching or playing with snakes, some call him a witch, evil, stupid and “un-African” and it’s hard to get anyone – even their own families – to visit his home.
Growing up in Gauteng, Ncube developed a strong affection for snakes at the age of two or three when he was seen kissing a snake in the backyard.
Since then Ncube became interested in snakes and made friends with them at the age of 12.
“I realized that it is not beneficial to kill snakes as some people do, rather than preserving the snakes’ natural habitat,” he remarked.
At that age, he owned his first snake, a wolf snake that lived in the same house as him and was hidden from his family inside a size 14 pot.
“I’m not magical when it comes to snakes. he states, “Determination and passion are essential for anyone who aspires to do what I do.”
Ncube says he wants to open his snake park someday and teach people about the various kinds of snakes and how they behave.
To fulfil his dream of having a snake park, he adds, “I have so far secured a land that has a storage for snakes which helps me breed more.”
He has successfully completed the African Reptiles and Venom courses in advanced Snake Handling, as well as Snake ID, Snakebite Treatment and Venomous Snake Handling through FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa). This, under the mentorship of Mike Perry from FGASA, has opened new doors for him. He also applied for his Catch and Release permit from the Department of Nature Conservation.
Currently residing in Vleifontein, Denzel is the owner of fifty large and small snakes. He has cobras, black mambas, green mambas, and pythons.
Anyone who needs assistance with snakes or wants to know more about snakes can contact Ncube at Tel 067 798 9761, or email him to senzangakhonadenzel@gmail.com. Look him up on his Facebook pages (Rescue Master DEE or Senzangakhona Denzel Ncube
