Cape Town - The owner of two pit bulls who mauled a suspected thief to death has finally broken his silence about the fateful day.
Anthony du Plessis, 38, says he was braaing at home on March 21 and went to pick up his wife Janine from work.
The sales rep says he returned home to find “300 to 500” people at his door.
Read: ‘Dog owner not to blame for death’
Also read: Pit bulls maul alleged thief to death
He was shocked to find that scrap collector Wayne “Wayntjie” Kayster had been attacked by his pit bulls, Rocco and Paco.
And he was devastated to learn that police had killed the brown male, Paco, as they tried to save Kayster, who passed away later in hospital.
The vicious attack in Du Plessis’s backyard had been filmed on a cellphone and went viral on social media.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Voice at his home in Lotus River, Du Plessis says last Monday was rubbish collection day.
Contrary to Kayster’s family’s account that Kayster had permission to be in his yard to collect scrap, Du Plessis warned him that morning not to come onto his property.
“He approached me, looking for scrap. I told him that I did not have any and he looked past me into my yard,” said Du Plessis
“Ek het hom gese ‘jy gaan jou laat maak’ as jy hier wil in kom. (Yiou will get hurt if you come in here) Those were my last words to him.”
The eight-minute video of the pit bulls mauling Kayster shows the dogs biting Kayster, dragging him and grabbing him by the throat in their powerful jaws.
An exhausted Kayster, a known drug addict, tries in vain to fight off the dogs.
Scores of residents shout at the 35-year-old to get up, while pelting the dogs with stones.
An emotional Du Plessis said he could not bring himself to watch the video, as it also shows how police shoot and kill Paco.
“We did not even know what was going on,” he explained. People kept saying [an officer] shot the dog, and later a cop came to explain what had happened and then said he had to kill my boy. He had to, to save a life.”
But Du Plessis believes the police could have done “other things”, but chose to shoot Paco.
“I’m not happy with how it was handled.”
He said claims that his dogs had dragged Kayster over his six-foot vibacrete fence when he peeked over are not true.
“That was my dog and my friend and my first child, he was taken from me because a thief decided to jump my fence,” he said.
“Paco loved us and would have protected the property. Paco and Rocco are trained.”
He said he and his wife received Paco as a housewarming gift when they moved into the house seven years ago.
Rocco has not stopped crying for his companion, and Du Plessis is now considering getting another dog.
Meanwhile, residents have intimidated him and told him to put Rocco down.
He has met Nikki Elliott, a woman who started a Facebook campaign called “Justice for Paco” to raise awareness about the matter.
“It’s insane. People saw my original post about how sad I was and it went insane. Animal lovers from all over the world are supporting and offering condolences.”
Police have opened an inquest docket into the matter, while the SPCA said they won’t be laying charges against Du Plessis.
Daily Voice