SAfrica man barred from bank, fearing his snakes

JOHANNESBURG, Apr 13 (Reuters) A South African judge has barred a dissatisfied customer from entering any Absa bank branch after his pet snakes bit one person when he released them inside the headquarters of the country's largest bank.

Absa had requested the restraining order against Jan Abel Manamela, who released five poisonous Puff adder snakes at the bank's Johannesburg headquarters in 2004, the South African Press Association (SAPA) said yesterday.

Manamela was sentenced to three years in prison following the incident but was released on parole in February.

Manamela had accused Absa of defrauding him after it sold his pickup truck following what it said was his failure to pay off a loan.

He later threatened to blow up the bank, demanded payment of 10 million rand (1.6 million dollars) and eventually released what he described as his ''pet'' snakes in the bank, SAPA said.

Judge Eben Jordaan's order forbade Manamela from contacting, threatening or molesting Absa employees, customers and attorneys and bars him from entering any bank office or branch, SAPA said.

REUTERS DH BD0423