Snake man could face lesser charges

A Johannesburg magistrate has expressed understanding for the actions of the man who released venomous snakes inside a bank last year. Abel Manamela released five puff adders on the premises of Absa Towers in Johannesburg in January last year after a dispute with the bank.

"Manamela misunderstood the system. I understand his problem but that does not condone what he did," said Lucas van der Schyff, the magistrate in the case. He indicated that attempted murder charges against Manamela (53) might be reduced to a count of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm. A reptile researcher earlier testified that a bite from a puff adder would not necessarily result in death.

Manamela released the snakes on the premises of Absa Towers after a dispute with Jacobus van der Berg, an Absa manager, regarding his loan repayments and repossession of his vehicle. Amid fevered attempts to catch the creatures, a Philipus Griffin, contract manager for Absa's cleaning company, Prestige, was bitten on a finger and had to undergo surgery. While the State tried to prove that Griffin could have died from the snake bite, Graeme Alexander, a Witwatersrand researcher, said: "It's unlikely that a person may die after a puff adder bites them, unless you have an allergic reaction."

Van der Berg said he had been dealing with Manamela since 1998 and that Manamela was not always a very friendly person. "Before he released the snakes, Manamela wrote us a letter saying he was going to expose us (ABSA) for the 'snakes' that we were," said Van der Berg.

Manamela denied allegations that he had threatened Absa staff. "I disagree that there was another threat. I only said they will see what will happen to the bank and not that I was going to use a bomb," said Manamela. He said he used the snakes to frighten Absa staff so that Absa would sort out his problem as he believed he was being cheated. He said that various Absa branches had given him false information about the money he still owed the bank. According to Adel Strydom, the investigating officer, Manamela had a valid permit to keep the creatures in cages in his yard in Garankuwa.

Manamela had planned the incident and had informed staff at the bank about the snakes.

Manamela, a building contractor who has now been blacklisted, had also asked for the court's assistance to sue Absa. He has pleaded not guilty on two counts of attempted murder and is out on bail of R5 000. His trial is expected to continue until Wednesday.- Sapa