Cape Town - The community of Bardale in Mfuleni are demanding that the SPCA comes to their aid after an 8-year-old boy survived an attack by a pit bull.
Avethandwa Ndengane was attacked by a neighbour’s dog on December 14 while on his way to a spaza shop. His injury has caused him to limp and this has angered his neighbours following recent horrific attacks by pit bulls.
The boy’s dad, Thandikhaya Qokoqa, 39, with his mother, Nomalungelo Ndengane, 47, opened a case at Blue Downs police station hoping the owner would be held accountable.
“The only reason that led me to take this matter to the police is that the owner of this dog is negligent. Even after the attack, he swore at us and left, leaving the dog inside his shack unattended,” said Thandikhaya
Community leader Thembile George said: “As a father of a 3-year-old I am worried, and my worry is validated by the stories that we have seen about this breed of dog.
“We can’t continue having such dogs within our communities as they proved to be dangerous time and again,” said Thembile
The community member who helped Avethandwa said: “When I heard a child screaming, I thought it was my child, but going to observe, I saw a boy lying on the road as this dog was busy attacking him.
“Together with the dog’s owner, we pulled it off him and soon after chaos erupted; the owners were busy shouting and they seemed ready for a physical fight.
“The dog is not even fully grown yet but it is strong. I wish it could be taken to a safe place for the sake of our kids and peace, because now not only are we fighting for the safety of our kids, but this can lead to a racial fight, because the owners are coloureds and we are Africans.”
Chief Inspector of Cape Of Good Hope SPCA Jaco Pieterse said: “The SPCA can remove the dog only if the owner is in contravention of the Animal Protection Act.
“Dog attacks falls within the ambit of City of Cape Town’s Animal Keeping By-Law, which is enforced by the City’s Law Enforcement. The SPCA will gladly collect the dog if the owner willingly surrenders it to the SPCA.”