Wedding-day celebrations turned to tragedy in Durbanville on Saturday after a Rottweiler who was left to guard the bride and groom’s home mauled a five-year-old relative to death, in full view of his mother.
Junid Benjamin, a relative of the boy, Elridge Saunders, said he heard screaming and looked out the window of his bedroom on the Morgenster Wine farm on Racecourse Road on Saturday to see what was going on.
“I saw Elridge’s friend Clint running towards the house screaming: “Die hond het vir hom. Hy het vir hom by die nek gebyt.” (The dog has Elridge. He bit him on the neck.)
Benjamin alerted the boy’s mother Shannon Saunders, who was in the bath, and rushed towards the house. He was first on the scene.
“There was nothing I could do. When I arrived at the house, he was already dead. The dog had his neck in its mouth and shook him around.
“He was even licking the boy’s blood and kept the body close, so that no one could come near.
Benjamin ran for help.
When Saunders arrived, the dog still had the boy in its mouth. She sprayed it with water, in the hope that her son was still alive and the dog would let go of him. The dog refused to let go of the boy and dragged him to the backyard.
Benjamin said the dog had a reputation for being violent.
“That Rottweiler killed my dog in the same way he killed Elridge. He should have been put down that time already.”
Fire and rescue services declared the boy dead at the scene. He had been badly bitten on his neck.
Police shot the dog.
Elridge’s aunt, Jeanette Christiaans, said the boy and his cousin Clint, also aged five, were playing in the garden and soon after made their way to a relative’s home, metres away.
She said the boys and other members of the community frequently played pool at a table outside the house.
“I warned them not to go there if no one’s home. The boys couldn’t have known the dog was out. If they did, they wouldn’t enter because it’s an aggressive dog.”
It is believed that the dog had been released from the back section of the home to guard the house because the couple’s wedding gifts were inside. The front-door key had been lost and it was feared the presents would be stolen.
Most of the community who live on the farm were attending their wedding at the time of the attack.
Christiaans said the family was not pointing fingers and refused to blame anyone.
“It could have happened to anyone. Elridge even lived there for a while and was loved at that house. He will be missed,” she said.
When the Cape Times visited the house, relatives were reluctant to speak.
“Mrs Saunders is not in a good state. She is very traumatised and is receiving counselling,” a relative said.
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