A security guard had a close shave on Monday when a Mozambican cobra spat its deadly venom into his face.
It is thought that the sunglasses he was wearing at the time spared him from a worse fate.
Lushen Naidoo, 23, a response officer with security company Reaction Unit South Africa, had been called out to a house in Everest Heights, Verulam and was trying to capture the snake when it attacked him.
The owner of the home, Sashen Mungroo, said his wife had spotted the cobra at their home at about 1pm.
"She saw the snake on the window sill of our bedroom, where our two-year-old son was asleep. It had been trying to get into the window. My wife screamed and I went to see what was wrong. By that time the snake had hidden behind a lawnmower standing against the wall."
Mungroo waited for the snake to emerge, expecting to see one of the small snakes prevalent in the area. However, a cobra emerged and flared its head at them.
"I realised the snake was too big for me to handle and called the security company for help," he said.
The head of the company, Prem Balram, said Naidoo and a colleague were dispatched to remove the snake.
"There were children and parents in the area near the snake. As he asked everyone to move away, the snake spat at him. He was wearing sunglasses but the venom got into his eyes and he fell."
Balram said the officer accompanying Naidoo then called for back-up.
"Naidoo said he was fine but about a minute later his eyes began to burn and he said his vision was blurred."
Paramedics arrived 15 minutes later and began treating him. Mungroo said the snake was shot at several times, but did not die.
The snake was eventually killed and placed in a black bin bag for paramedics to take to hospital with Naidoo.
Netcare911 spokesman Jeff Wicks said Naidoo was taken to Umhlanga Hospital for observation and further medical care.
Umhlanga Hospital spokeswoman Sheena Dhunlal said Naidoo was treated at the hospital's trauma unit and discharged on Monday night.
Balram said his security guards had undergone training in snake handling at the Ndlondlo Reptile Park in Ballito in January after receiving several calls from people for help with the reptiles.
"We had a show of snakes common in the area and we were trained to identify and handle these snakes. Ironically, this officer had not been trained."
Ndlondlo owner Neville Wolmarans said the Mozambican cobra's venom attacks and destroys tissue.
An untreated eye into which the venom has been sprayed can become permanently blind. Bites are rare, he said.
The snake's first line of defence is spraying venom in a person's eye.