A disabled man, Chilliboy Rathando, came to the rescue of a funeral procession, when he caught and killed a large snake that suddenly appeared in their midst.

The incident happened in the Mauluma village in the Dzanani area last Friday night. A large number of family members and friends were preparing for the funeral of the late granny Masindi Ramathavha.

“It all happened at about 22:15. All of a sudden, a very big snake appeared in a crowd of community members who had come for the funeral. We did not know what to do and everybody started running, calling out for help. We were all frightened. It was then that the brave man, Chilliboy, who was at the very same funeral at the time, rescued us and captured the snake,” said a family member, Hulisani Netshilaphala.

“I really appreciate what Chilliboy had done for the family and the community of Mauluma as a whole, for capturing such a dangerous snake that had been troubling the community, because the snake was going to injure or kill people. The snake nearly disrupted my granny’s funeral,” said Netshilaphala.

Chilliboy Rathando (32), a disabled man who cannot walk properly, is the brain behind Rathando Chilliboy Toilet Service and Pest Control. He hails from a dusty village of Mauluma, but unlike other disabled people, he did not want to stay home and wait for the government’s disability grant, so he started his own toilet and pest control initiative. “I don’t just capture snakes. I control all pests, including bats, ants, lice and cockroaches. I also fix old toilets,” said Chilliboy.

The snake that had pestered the Netshilaphala family had eaten chickens and killed other domestic animals in the community.