Five snakes seized as police, SPCA raid north shack
The raid was conducted after police and the SPCA received numerous complaints about a neighbour who was keeping snakes in his yard.
A python and a spitting cobra were among five reptiles seized when the police and the SPCA raided a shack in Mmakaunyane, north of Pretoria on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Seargent Thembi Nowathe said five snakes, one chameleon and four rats were seized from the shack of “mlungu man”.
He said the police and the SPCA had received numerous complaints about “a white neighbour who kept snakes in his yard”.
“According to his travel papers, he is from Hungary, Central Europe,” said Nowathe, adding this was not the first time the police had visited the man’s home.
“The first time we seized a cobra. He had five snakes but did not need a licence for the other four. He gave the spitting cobra to the SPCA because he needed a licence to keep it,” said Nowathe.
She said the man, Zoltan Szimorny, who is now wanted by immigration officers, told police he was keeping the snakes as domestic reptiles.
ALSO READ: North school claims to be snake infested
“Neighbours told police that they were afraid of the snakes that were always roaming around his yard,” she said.
She said the police had received more complaints about the man keeping snakes in his shack, since the first incident.
“We went to the shack with the SPCA this week and discovered as many as five snakes inside his shack,” she said.
Home Affairs was notified and had since seized the man’s passport.
“The immigration officials went to his shack today (Wednesday), but did not find him. They were told he had disappeared,” she said.
Inspector Mishack Matlou of the SPCA confirmed that together with the SAPS, they had raided the man’s shack and found he was living with strange companions.
“We got the police to issue a search warrant to his home and discovered the spitting cobra, python and three other snakes being kept in the shack. There was a cage in the house, but three snakes were outside,” said Matlou.
“He signed off all five snakes to the SPCA.”
ALSO READ: INFOGRAPHIC: Pretorians warned: it’s snake season
He said the SPCA had begun building a criminal case against the man about a month ago.
A neighbour said a delivery van regularly brought mice to the man’s home.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
