Maize thief attcked by snake

By CHIPO MUDARIKWA

March 16, 2009

Richmond residents in Bulawayo were left shell-shocked when a man who allegedly wanted to steal green mealies from a field came face to face with a snake that mysteriously coiled around him, it has been learnt.


According to witnesses, the man went to the field with the intention of stealing green mealies.
However, he ran out of luck when he found himself coiled by a giant snake.
The man cried and was heard by people who were working on nearby fields.
“I heard some screams coming from one of the fields. I ran to investigate and I saw a man coiled by a snake. I thought he was being swallowed by the snake, but on closer inspection I realised that the snake was just staring at him,’’ said Mr Adam Dube.
The owner came after being notified and proceeded to mete out instant justice on the alleged thief after which the snake released him.
“The owner of the field came after 30 minutes and found the thief coiled by the snake, he then caned him before releasing his snake,’’ said another farmer who identified himself as MaNcube.
Of late residents have been complaining of increased numbers of thieves who have been stealing their mealies.
Last month, a man from Jairos Jiri farm in Gwanda was shot dead after he stole some green mealies from a field.
Some field owners are reportedly turning to prophets and traditional healers to protect their fields from thieves using juju.
A snap survey by Sunday News revealed that some fields had pieces of cloth tied on maize stalks and sugarcane in their fields.
A lady who has a field near Richmond, Mrs Christine Ndlovu, said they were doing this to protect their fields and instil some fear in the thieves.
“It is a good lesson to the thieves who want to reap where they did not sow,’’ she said.