Even KZN’s top snake rescuer was utterly baffled when what he was convinced was a black mamba turned out to be a basking beast of a python, measuring well over 3m, near the M19 in New Germany.
New Germany, South Africa (16 July 2025) – Residents and workers in New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal, are breathing a huge sigh of relief thanks to local snake rescuer Nick Evans, who recently made his biggest catch of the season.
Evans had been contacted by the local municipality about a large python hanging around a patch of bush next to the M19. Going off on his knowledge of snakes and their habitats, he was almost certain that there were no pythons in the area and that the workers had likely mistaken the snake in question for a black mamba.
“There probably was a python population in the vicinity many, many decades ago, but they’ve since been wiped out.
“Although it would be a little unusual to be a mamba too, just more likely,” Nick thought out loud.
Last Thursday, he followed the men to the spot where they had been seeing the big snake.
“It was on the island between the off-ramp to Otto Volek Rd and the M19,” Nick shared.
When they arrived in the area, Nick got out of his car, armed with my tongs, ready to catch the mamba, but boy was he shocked to find that what he was so sure was probably a mamba was actually a python! A massive one at that!
“I put my tongs back and walked into the bush, approaching the basking beast of a snake. I walked right up to it. “Easy catch”, I thought, as I was about to grab its head.
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“Of course, catches are rarely easy.”
What he thought would be an “easy catch” quickly turned into a wrestling match, as the snake “exploded into action” and tried to escape into thicker bush. With the crucial help of a brave municipal worker named Joseph, Evans managed to securely capture it.
“I’d not have caught it if it wasn’t for Joseph’s help. Thanks, Joseph,” Nick said.
According to Nick, the snake measures around 3.3 to 3.5 meters, and he remains perplexed as to where it could have come from, speculating it could have been brought into the area by a truck.
The python has since been released in a safe, undisclosed location where Nick hopes it will go about its days, away from the elements that threaten its survival.
Nick shared a video of the release, showing the snake slithering off into the bush after crossing a stream.
Sources: Nick Evans – Snake Rescuer
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