Theleak-SA

Durban - A girl aged,6 from a farm near Sugar Rush in Ballito survived a harrowing ordeal after she was bitten on the chin by a Mozambican spitting cobra on Sunday night.

The snake, however, did not stop there and sprayed little Mikayla-Sue Grove's mom, Inge, in the face, from a distance of about 30cm, when she went to investigate what had happened.

Mikayla-Sue’s father, Ludwig, said his two girls Mikayla-Sue and Izabella were in the room they shared when they heard a commotion.

Mikayla-Sue told her dad she had a “toothache” and Ludwig realised she had been bitten.

He located the snake and made sure his daughters left the room safely.

Inge, after the snake spat in her eyes, immediately started washing her eyes out with water.

Ludwig said they had a 10 to 15-minute dash to the Alberlito Hospital and what had saved his wife's eyes was that they took a bottle of water along with them and Inge constantly washed her eyes out.

Writing on Facebook page Snake Bite Assist, expert Arno Naude, said doctors had urgently applied anti-venom and, when the swelling reached the child's throat, had intubated her so that she would not suffocate.

Ludwig told The Mercury that 17 vials of anti-venom were applied over a 12-hour period.

Naude said Inge had since recovered from the venom in the eyes and was with their daughter in hospital.

Ludwig on Facebook thanked all those involved in his daughter's treatment.

“Mikayla is doing much better, the tubes have been removed, she is very responsive and looks around, eyes wide open,” he said yesterday. "Still in ICU, but I think I can safely say she is out of danger. We will know for certain over the next two to three days what the extent of the tissue damage will be.”

He said on Tuesday doctors had removed the tubes and the swelling had decreased substantially. In the next 48 hours they would learn if there would be any permanent tissue damage.

The family thanked the public for all the messages of support.

Snake catcher Neville Wolmarans was called to the scene shortly after the incident occurred and removed the snake.

Considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa, the Mozambican spitting cobra's venom can cause severe local tissue destruction. Venom to the eyes can also cause impaired vision or blindness if the eyes are not urgently cleaned out with water or milk.

The snake's fangs are specially modified for spitting venom. This allows the Mozambican spitting cobra to spit its venom to a distance of two to three metres.

Durban - Five people were injured, one critically, after two vehicles collided in a T Bone format on Blair Atholl Road near the Shell Garage in Westville on Tuesday morning.

Rescue Care  spokesman Garrith Jamieson said paramedics were called to the scene about 10.30am. They found one vehicle on the pavement and the second down an embankment. The driver of the one vehicle was trapped in the wreckage. While paramedics worked to stabilise the man the Durban Fire Department used the Jaws of Life to free him. The man was then placed on a manual ventilator before being rushed through to a nearby hospital. Four others were injured and stabilised before being transported to various Durban hospitals

Meanwhile, four people have been injured one seriously so after two vehicles collided in a T Bone format at the corner of Essenwood Road and Sydenham Road on the Berea on Tuesday afternoon after 12:45pm.

Jamieson said paramedics found the vehicles badly damaged on the roadside. Four occupants from both vehicles were injured with injuries ranging from minor to serious. They were stabilised and transported to various Durban Hospitals.

In a separate incident three people were injured after a multi-vehicle collision on the M7 Durban bound near the N3 onramp in Pinetown this morning.

Jamieson said paramedics responded to a single vehicle that had overturned in the central median just after 11am. While attending to the injured a vehicle lost control and collided into two breakdown trucks and two other vehicles followed. Three people had sustained various injuries.

At this stage the events leading up to all three collision are unknown. Police were at all accident scenes and will be investigating further.

South African rapper, Cassper Nyovest is having so much fun in Lagos, Nigeria that he’s not even missing home right now.

Abuti Fill Up, as he has come to be known has been in Nigeria for a week now.

He flew out to attend the annual SoundCity MVP Awards where he was honoured with the Best Hip Hop nod.

THUGS saw the school holidays as a chance to break into the school.

Some were excited when schools opened yesterday, but teachers at Sibonele Lower Primary School in J section, KwaMashu, were in for a surprise.

The school had been broken into and the computers and equipment stolen.

An SGB member said they suspected the thugs gained entry through the roof.

“The principal phoned me to tell me the computers and tablets were gone. I went to school and was met with this terrible scene.

“It is shocking that equipment which gives our children a future should be stolen like this.”

More than 30 computers and tablets were gone. The SGB member said the school had an alarm and the principal had told him the security company called him on Sunday.

“The principal said the company told him there was a problem with the alarm. He told them to fix it, not thinking there was a robbery. He only realised yesterday what was going on.”

Principal Lindokuhle Madonsela confirmed the incident and referred the People’s Paper to the department.

Education spokesman Scelo Khuzwayo told the SunTeam they had not 
received a report.

“Residents in the area where the school is located must work with us.

“I’m sure some residents have knowledge of the incident and we urge anyone who knows something to contact the police.”

Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said: “A case of business robbery was opened after a school was broken into by unknown suspects.

“Computers, an overhead projector, monitor, desktop, laptop, paper, money boxes, hockey kits, tools and speakers were stolen.”

No one has been arrested and police are investigating.

CAPE TOWN - A man has been arrested in connection with the attack on a group of cyclists near Stellenbosch.

The five victims sustained minor injuries during Sunday morning's attack.

The suspect and an accomplice armed with knives allegedly tried to rob the cyclists of their bicycles.

The other attacker escaped.

The police's Andre Traut: "A 32-year-old suspect is expected to make a court appearance on a charge of robbery in Stellenbosch this morning following an incident on Sunday morning, where two suspects attacked a group of cyclists training on the Helshoogte pass. Police reacted swiftly and arrested the suspect."

 No arrests in the case of seven zama zama’s who were killed in the Benoni area have yet been made.

The men were found with gunshot wounds in a veld over the weekend.

Residents are calling on the police to raid the residences of illegal miners believed to live in the area.

Ward councillor Sinethemba Matiwane says the illegal miners behind the killings in the area are believed to be armed and dangerous and have urged the police to use any force necessary to get to the bottom of the murders.

“SAPS have identified that they will conduct raids on a continuous basis. It can’t be a once-off.”

He says the defence force should be called in to man the situation with at least 40 murder cases being investigated by the police since 2015.

In that year, 15 miners were killed when zama zama's clashed at the Grootvlei Aurora Mine in Springs in Ekurhuleni.

In that very metro municipality early last year, 14 illegal miners were found dead, most riddled with bullet holes in the Benoni area.

Matiwane says this is a national crisis.