“Oh God”: Stellenbosch Snake Handler Catches Deadly Cape Cobra in Kids’ Play Area

• A snake handler from Stellenbosch shared a video of himself removing a Cape cobra from a kids' play area
• The venomous snake was hiding behind a vending machine near the eating area
• South Africans praised the handler for his bravery, with some happy to see him wearing shoes

An Instagram user @stellenbosch_snake_removals, known for sharing content about snake removals in the Stellenbosch area of Cape Town, posted a video on 5 January 2026 showing a dangerous situation where he had to remove a snake that had hidden itself in a kids' play area.

The post was captioned:

"Cape cobra removed from a kids' play area on a wine farm in Stellenbosch." The caption included information about the snake, explaining that it varies in colour from near black to dark or light brown, beige, yellow or speckled, and juveniles have a dark band on the throat. The Cape cobra is easily confused with the mole snake and the black spitting cobra.

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In the video, the snake handler was trying to get some shots of where the snake was located. They were in a building that had plenty of gaming setups in a kids' play area on a wine farm in Stellenbosch. The snake was spotted just before the eating area, and it ended up going behind what looked like a temporary tattoo and stickers vending machine. The snake hid behind this machine, which was a long, metal container. The snake handler was able to move it slightly to get to the back.

He eventually noticed the snake and quickly, just before it could escape the area, he caught hold of its tail and lifted it. The head of the snake was still on the ground, and it tried to move away from him. But the handler was firm with how he grasped it and continued moving it so that it would go into the snake storage container he brought, which was a cylindrical pipe with a screw cap.

Eventually, it moved into the cylinder, and he managed to close it shut. The people who were around the snake handler were quite scared of the venomous reptile and kept their distance.

SA happy with Cape cobra catch

Netizens flooded the comment section with their reactions to the dangerous snake being caught by Instagram user @stellenbosch_snake_removals in the kids' play area.

@ponies530 joked:

"Sneakers look better."

@makin_tola wrote:

"Oh no 😮"

@natewondzman asked:

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"Where's this?"

@thebetamaxfamily said:

"Glad you're wearing shoes this time😂"

@shenleyred added:

"JAY 😳 that's so funny, great job as usual."

Watch the Instagram reel here.

More on snakes in South Africa

• Briefly News recently reported on a man who was bitten by a Cape cobra while napping under a tree in Zastron, Free State, and sadly passed away.
• A woman stunned South Africans after sharing a video of herself dancing to Amapiano music with a snake draped around her neck.
• A massive puff adder became the most liked snake of 2025 after footage captured the reptile moving through the bush.

Source: Briefly News