ZIMBABWE CHRONICLE (Harare, Zimbabwe) 09 May 05 Snake bites woman as she relieves self
A 29yearold woman employed by a private security company and stationed at the National University of Science and Technology was last week bitten by a snake on her buttocks while relieving herself in the bush, Chronicle can reveal.
In an interview with Chronicle, the woman who preferred to remain anonymous, said she was relieving herself in the bush because they did not have any toilets near the main entrance where she was manning the gate. The gate to the revered Ceremonial Avenue is located more than 500 metres from the college campus.
“I was relieving myself in the bush when I felt a painful sting. I then ran screaming for help towards my colleagues. However, that was all I can remember because when I woke up I found myself in a hospital bed,” she said.
The other guards said when they heard her screaming, they ran towards her and saw a snake escaping into the thick bush and suspected that it had bitten her and they then called for help.
They told Chronicle that this was not the first time such an incident had happened in this area. “The situation is really pathetic as we are exposed to danger because we are forced to use the bush as a toilet. We have tried to ask the university to build some toilets for us on several occasions, but up to now they have not done anything about it,” said another security guard who also preferred anonymity.
All the security guards manning all the university’s gates, including those at the the borehole are forced to use the bushes to relieve themselves because of lack of toilets in the neighbourhood.
Some of the guards do not even have a guardroom and spend days and nights in the open.
The guards said the university’s management was aware of what had happened but did not comment about it.
“They simply took her (the guard) to the United Bulawayo Hospitals where she was admitted for two days,” they said.
The university’s director for public relations and publicity, Mr Felix Moyo confirmed that there he had received such a complaint from the security guards, but said the university could not be held responsible because all the guards had been shown where the toilets area.
“I heard that there was a female security guard who was bitten by a snake, but I am not sure what she was doing at the time.
“However, if she was relieving her self in the bushes then that is not the university’s fault as they know where the nearest toilets are if they need to relieve themselves,” he said.
Snake bites woman as she relieves self