Python on the braai
2009-12-21 22:49
Thohoyandou - Herbalist William Rasivhetshela thought he was dreaming when he discovered that the python he was preparing for medication had been eaten instead.
Rasivhetshela, who practises in Makonde village outside Thohoyandou, had bought the python from a hunter on Sunday. He wanted to cook it to get its fat, which he uses in medicine for men with sexual problems.
"I removed the skin from the python and cut the animal into pieces, which I put into a 25-litre tin on the fire for cooking so that I can get the fat," said Rasivhetshela.
"I then asked Nnyambeni Sibara, Mmboniseni Sidimela and Phatheleni Mathomu to remove the fat when the python was well cooked."
But when Rasivhetshela returned, he found that the tin was empty.
Hungry
"When I asked them what happened to my python, the trio told me they ate it. I thought I was dreaming, but I believed them when they showed me some of the bones that were left," he said.
Rasivhetshela, who is also known for helping men with concoctions that help them to perform better in bed, said he had to accept the disappointment, even though he knew it would take time for him to get another python.
Sibara said he had eaten the python because he was hungry.
"I am unemployed and I rarely eat meat at home. In fact, I eat everything that comes my way because I do not want to steal," said Sibara.
Sidimela said he was tempted to eat the python after it had been flavoured with tomatoes and salt.
"It was very good and it tasted like fish. A python might be dangerous in the bush, but when it is cooked it becomes a nice meal," he said.
Mathomu said he would eat python again if the opportunity arose, adding that he sympathised with Rasivhetshela, but "poverty drove us to eat it".