Give me back my Cobra: Chihota ‘witch’ demands his snake in court!

The man

A CHIHOTA who caught in possession of a snake stunned a Harare magistrate’s court after he demanded to have it back  citing it belonged to him not to Zimbabwe National Parks and Wild Life Authority.

Grey Mupinganjira, 32, of Chihota Muhove village in Mahusekwa admitted to owning an Egyptian cobra when he was asked to plead but did not treat possession as an offence when he appeared before magistrate Elijah Makomo.

He was charged for contravening Section 59(2) (b) of the Parks and Wildlife Act for having the reptile without a permit or licence.

When he was arrested on Sunday, Mpinganjira said the snake belonged to his late mother, who, like him, used it in traditional rituals. He was shown on TV with the snake coiled familiarly around his neck and shoulders. Cobras are considered to be southern Africa’s most deadly snake.

“Yes I was found in possession of a snake but it is my snake and belongs to me and should not have been forfeited. I don’t know why it was taken from me,” he told magistrate Elijah Makomo.

Makomo asked why he claimed the reptile was his and whether he was able to create his own snake. In response Mupinganjira said, “It was left to me by my late mother. She got it from Malawi but now I don’t have evidence to prove that as my mother is no longer living.”

The magistrate remanded the matter to Monday saying this was a “bizarre incident” adding the accused needed to be examined by mental doctors. Mupinganjira however, told court that he was in his normal senses and aware of what he was saying, insisting he did not suffer from any form of mental illness.

Prosecutor Francesca Mukumbiri told court that Mupinganjira was arrested Sunday at a road block in Hatfield. He was travelling in commuter omnibus which was coming from Mbare and headed for Epworth. 

The kombi was stopped and people were searched leading to the discovery of the snake which was in his laptop bag leading to his arrest. An alert police officer is said to have noticed movements in Mpinganjira’s laptop bag before asking the seemingly dangerous man to open his bag, much to the surprise of other commuters.

Mukumbiri said the snake is worth $100.

Before appearing in court, Mapunganjira had told the police that he wanted to get rid of the snake as it had brought him problems in his life. He claimed to have inherited the snake from his late mother. Mapunganjira said he used the reptile for witchcraft purposes. 

Police handed over the snake to officials from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority. He boasted the snake would return to him. Snr Asst Comm Charamba said Mapunganjira claimed that four other Black Mambas had been taken back to Malawi where his father stays.

Source:The Herald