“Holding Death”: KZN Snake Catcher Leaves Mzansi Stunned After Facing Off Against a Black Mamba

• A KZN snake catcher was filmed removing a black mamba from inside a kitchen drawer with his bare hands
• The black mamba is one of the most venomous and fastest-striking snakes in the world, making the catch really remarkable
• South Africans flooded the comments with disbelief and admiration for the young man's nerve

A video posted by @kaelan.pillay.2025, a snake catcher from KwaZulu-Natal, had Mzansi holding their breath. The clip showed him trying to remove a venomous snake. The reptile was a black mamba that had made itself comfortable inside a kitchen drawer. He spotted part of the snake's body and then slowly pulled it free using a tool before gripping it firmly behind the head with his bare hands. The snake fought back, twisting and lunging to try to get free. Fortunately, he kept control throughout until it was fully secured.

Why you should call a snake catcher

Read also

"Let us take you for a push": New Uber service joke after petrol price increase leaves SA amused

The black mamba is considered one of Africa's most dangerous snakes. It can move really quickly, and its venom attacks the nervous system. Without antivenom, a bite can be fatal within hours. Finding one in your home, especially in a tight space like a kitchen drawer, is a situation that can go very wrong very fast.

Attempting to catch or kill a snake yourself increases the risk of being bitten. Most snake bites in South Africa happen when people try to handle or corner a snake on their own. A trained snake catcher like Kaelan has the experience, tools and knowledge to remove the snake safely for both the people in the home and the snake itself. If you spot a snake in or around your home, the safest thing to do is keep your distance, keep others away and call a professional.

Watch the Facebook video below:

Mzansi praises the snake catcher

People were equal parts impressed and terrified of Facebook user @kaelan.pillay.2025's catch:

@Billy Joubert said:

"That's a big one. You're literally holding death in your hands."

@Solani Manamela asked:

"How the hell do you remain so calm when a single little bite can send you back to the sender in a couple of hours?"

Read also

"A game changer for midnight snacking": Man finds a way to mute his microwave

@Chike Nnanyelu Bunch wrote:

"Now that's the most dangerous job on earth... Catching a black mamba?"

@Andy TheRoyal Nexus added:

"Guys, this thing is huge. I would never be holding a black mamba with its face in my face like that, forget it."

@Lonwabo Ntloko warned:

"Never switch hands unless you really have to. One mistake, that mamba strikes you in the face."

@Evans Wekesa said:

"That's a professional, and not an ordinary street guy."

@Dakalo Dk Marupene wrote:

"This is why I'm so scared of KZN, there are just snakes everywhere — I was never going to enter the house again."

@Benzo Mamakoko asked:

"How did it get there?"

@Brian Jonathan Paul said:

"You forgot your crown here, King."

More on South African snake encounters

• Briefly News recently reported on a man who had a black spitting cobra spit venom directly into his eyes, and what a snake expert said happened next had many spooked.
• A family thought they had a burst pipe in their bedroom in the middle of the night, but what they found hiding there left them shaken for days.
• A woman opened her car bonnet and came face to face with a reptile in the spookiest way possible.

Source: Briefly News