“That Mamba Is Wise”: Black Mamba Dodges Oncoming Traffic and the Clip Has SA Talking

• A Western Cape snake removal expert showed a black mamba crossing a road, which quickly avoided being hit
• The snake moved with incredible speed the moment it sensed an oncoming car
• People shared their thoughts on just how fast and dangerous a black mamba really is

A snake removal expert based in the Paarl area of the Western Cape shared a video on 28 March 2026 on his Facebook page. The clip showed a large black mamba crossing a road slowly. It was clearly in no rush until a vehicle came around from the opposite direction. The moment the snake sensed the car approaching at speed, everything changed. It launched the upper portion of its body back with remarkable speed. It pulled itself clear of the road and disappeared into the bush on the side. The whole scene happened in a matter of seconds.

What makes this so scary is how fast the snake moved when it needed to. Black mambas are already known as one of Africa's fastest and most dangerous snakes. They are actually capable of moving very quickly at up to 20 kilometres per hour on the ground. While snakes cannot jump in the way that we do, they use powerful muscles to lunge and push their bodies forward or backwards very quickly.

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Most snakes can raise a large part of their body and strike forward. It's mainly because of this ability to move their bodies with speed and sharp precision that makes them so difficult to deal with.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

Netizens share concerns about the black mamba

People had a lot to say in the comments after watching the clip that Facebook user @Bolandsnakeremovals shared:

@Cameron Fernandez wrote:

"I probably wouldn't have seen it and just driven over it."

@Kenneth Mautso added:

"That's a black mamba, also known as the kiss of death. Dangerous and highly venomous."

@Marlon War said:

"Yasis, that snake is wise."

@Tom Vousden wrote:

"Lucky it made it off the road. A lot of people would not have seen it, or worse, tried to drive over it."

@Duncan Skippers shared:

"As my dad says, that mamba is a mess of a snake."

@Jacobus Coetzee joked:

"Wonder who was more scared, the snake or the Prado's driver."

@Siyabonga Reed Mhlanga said:

"It's quick, just as when it strikes. I would have probably driven over it."

@Patrys Van Zyl added:

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"A black mamba, you can still leave if you see it, but a Mozambican spitting cobra kill it immediately. That one likes to enter your house."

More scary black mamba encounters

• Briefly News recently reported on a veteran snake catcher who ended up in the ICU after being bitten by a black mamba.
• An EMS practitioner shared a full follow-up on the Pretoria black mamba bite victim.
• A Pretoria snake removal expert shared the story of catching a 2.5-metre black mamba inside a suburban bathroom.

Source: Briefly News