Limpopo man arrested for smoking bong with live cobra inside
VIDEO NOT FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS. A Modjajiskloof man is seen teasing the snake before lighting a joint and inhaling the smoke.
LIMPOPO – A Modjajiskloof man has been fined R2 000 for smoking a bong with a live cobra inside.
Dirk de Jager was identified by the National Senior Inspector of the NSPCA Duán Matthee after a lengthy investigation and charged and prosecuted for contravening various sections of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962.
The NSPCA says they were made aware of a video on social media in 2024 in which De Jager is seen displaying a jar containing a live cobra.
The jar has a thin tube protruding from it as well as a rolled joint of marijuana.
“Here in the bush, we smoke with a cobra. There’s a cobra in the bong and look, it’s spitting fresh venom,” he says in Afrikaans.
De Jager is then seen teasing the snake before lighting the joint and inhaling the smoke while the snake remains in the jar.
“So you see what I mean, you people with your pansy bongs in town. Take the water out and put a cobra in there, it does the job,” he says at the end of the video.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, our Wildlife Protection Unit started to investigate the individual responsible for this deplorable act of cruelty. It is inconceivable that someone would expose any living animal to this type of behaviour and our inspectors were adamant that the man in the video would be identified and prosecuted. After investigating a series of leads, Inspector Matthee successfully located the person responsible for the video,” their statement reads.
De Jager was arrested in August 2024 and pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024. He was sentenced in the Kgapane Magistrate’s Court.
“The plea resulted in a fine of R2 000 or 30 days’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months on condition that the accused is not found guilty of the same offence committed during the period of suspension. The NSPCA is absolutely appalled by De Jager’s abhorrent actions and finds it reprehensible that anyone could participate in behaviour such as this, let alone video the event and circulate it on social media. While we are disappointed in the leniency of the sentence, we are grateful that he is facing repercussions for his actions, including a criminal record,” the NSPCA said.
