A micro-film is spotlighting the Black Mambas, a fierce group of women who work in the Kruger to protect our wildlife.
Kruger National Park, South Africa (13 May 2025) — They’re the boots on the ground when trouble strikes. The snare removers who save wild lives, and the women showing young girls that there is more than enough room at the table for women to protect the future of our natural heritage. The Black Mambas are legendary in more ways than one, and now a new micro-film is giving us a glimpse into the mind of a Mamba!
The Black Mambas, an all-female anti-poaching unit formed in 2013, have been a longstanding source of inspiration to their communities. These fearless women have defied initial scepticism, operating without firearms to protect wildlife, and have successfully saved numerous animals from the deadly snares of poachers.
Some of their team have gone on to earn incredible acknowledgements, like Sergeant Nkateko Letti Mzimba, who won the Conservation ‘Oscar’ for Best Field Ranger in Africa, while the team as a whole have supported countless efforts of good for conservation, from their daily doings as rangers to educational awareness for the next generation.
The micro-film by Wisani Ngwenya puts two Black Mambas into the spotlight: Leitah Mkhabela (Black Mambas Supervisor) and Malongani Naledi (a Crime Prevention Unit Sergeant).
In a short but impactful clip, the two women share what led them to the Black Mambas, what challenges they face and an insight into their brave mindsets.
As Leitah shares, the greater mission of the Mambas is to make the Greater Kruger a harder place for poachers to poach. She was inspired to join the unit after learning of its male-dominated underpinnings and wanted to be one of the trailblazing women protecting animals!
Malongani was drawn to the Mambas because of the rhinos. She didn’t just want to be any hero, but rather one who protects the precious species.
Of course, this is a field of challenges. It’s dangerous, demanding and not for the faint of heart. The Mambas shared that consistent challenges range from elephants chasing them to finding animals trapped in snares. But, as both explain, they are trained for it all.
What was incredible to watch, was the passion both Mambas spoke with, and the humility. These are women who are contributing to a better future for our wildlife every day—through their hands-on work for wildlife, the education initiatives via the Bush Babies Programme and by inspiring more women to break the glass ceiling. Yet, they were remarkably humble in the way that all good leaders are. Indeed, not all heroes wear capes; some (in this case) wear camouflage.
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“Being a Black Mamba, it means I’m unique and I’m beautiful. And I’m a woman; I’m a mother. I have a little girl and she shares with me the love or the motherhood with the animals…so that makes me a Mother of the Earth.”—Leitah Mkhabela.
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