They are burmese pythons. The press always get the species wrong.
Unless the pic is from somewhere else.
Ya, The traditional healers here, or "sangomas" usually use snakes to "prove" to the very supersticious locals, that they indeed have the power of the ancestors and can handle the "deadly" animals, without dying...
And I think the SPCA have a right to complain about this case, although, usually they just moan about everything...
They're currently campaining against keeping exotic animals here in SA, They won't get it right.
Anyway, ya, the local "African" people, if you want to call them that, are very supersticious; They are deathly affraid of frogs, snakes and especially chameleons, they believe they can make lightening strike people... It sounds like I'm joking, but I'm not.
So, this kind of thing is terrible example of animal husbandary, but unfortunately, some of those guys don't know better.
But it does suck.