DURBAN: A municipal worker was seriously injured and taken to hospital, after he was attacked by four dogs in Verulam, on Wednesday.
Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) spokesperson Prem Balram said the 44-year-old man was attacked in Temple Valley.
“We received multiple calls from residents in the area, requesting assistance for man who they heard screaming for help, while being attacked by the dogs.
“RUSA officers and RUSA Medics were immediately dispatched and, on arrival, found the individual lying at the rear of a property.
“He suffered bite wounds to his body and face.
“It was established that the victim had the entered the property to conduct an inspection on the storm water system, when he was ambushed.
“The property was not fenced. Some residents who gathered at the scene informed officers that the dogs did not belong to the homeowner where the attack had occurred, others claimed they were strays,” said Balram.
Balram said the critically injured man was stabilised on scene before being transported to hospital.
eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said they “very concerned” about the reported incidents where some of their employees have been attacked by dogs when reading metres or conducting any other municipal related work.
“We are appealing to residents to ensure that our workers are protected when executing their responsibilities that require them to enter their premises.
“With regard to this case, we have since learnt that the dogs are strays and no one is taking responsibility for their conduct.
“This is a serious concern, and we are appealing to residents that in the event that they are aware of stray dogs in their communities, that they report them to the authorities to guard against them attacking our workers and our residents, more especially children. Stray dogs are unlikely to be vaccinated for deadly viruses like rabies and are a serious danger to everyone.
“We wish the injured employee that was attacked a speedy recovery. We are also appealing to residents to assist us in eventually identifying the owner of the dogs.”
Captain Nqobile Gwala said no incident had been reported at SAPS.
IOL