By Luvuyo Mjekula
A 19-year-old Rhodes University student viciously bitten by a boerboel while walking in a Makhanda street is seeking justice for himself, his three friends and residents of Cyrus Street.
The dog bit off the upper part of Philani Mncwabe’s foot in the attack on Thursday last week.
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail on Friday, the first-year student from KwaZulu-Natal said he was in agonising pain.
“I was stitched and the wound is very bad. It is painful to walk, and I am in pain as I am lying in bed right now. I will struggle to walk to university.”
He and his three friends had decided to take a walk to see Fort England on the Thursday afternoon.
After taking photographs, they went back through Cyrus Street. “We were walking in pairs and as we passed this one house, we heard a dog barking loudly. It pushed the wooden gate with its head.
“There were two dogs and they both got out. One of them, the black boerboel, chased me and my friend to the side [of the road]where there is a dead end. My other two friends ran in the other direction. My friend entered into a yard, and was helped by the owner who locked him in her house.
“I was trying to find a safe area to run to, but I slipped as I tried to climb to safety and the dog bit me in the foot. I tried to kick it and I was able to jump over a gate. That is when I realised that the bite in my foot was quite serious.”
Mncwabe said he was assisted by neighbouring residents, one of whom took him into her house and called the dog owner.
He said when the owner arrived a while later, the dogs were still out in the street. The owner got them inside and offered to drive him to Settlers Hospital.
He said although the dog owner had driven him to the hospital and left him her contact number, she was not very helpful. “The owner left me at the hospital saying she had to look after her children. She did leave her contact number. The neighbours checked on me at the hospital. They were very helpful.”
They gave him a lift to the Beaufort Street police station to open a case.
The police confirmed a case was opened.
“The South African Police Service can confirm that Makhanda SAPS opened a case of vicious dog after a 19-year-old Rhodes University student reported that he was bitten by a dog on 4 September at about 16:30.
“It is alleged that the victim and his friends were walking in the street when two dogs came out of a yard in Cyrus Street and chased them. It is further alleged that one of dogs bit the victim on his left foot. He was taken to hospital for medical treatment. Investigation is ongoing,” said police spokesperson, Captain Marius McCarthy in a statement.
The incident has sparked tension among residents in Cyrus Street.
Mncwabe said neighbours told him they had reported the dogs to the Makana Municipality and the SPCA.
He said he heard the dogs terrorised residents in the area, making it hard for children to walk outside. “The residents say the dogs even chase them in their own homes.”
He added that the police said it was not the first time the dogs had been reported to them.
Grocott’s Mail is in possession of a letter written by Cyrus Street resident, Nomonde Stamper, to the owner of the dogs in July last year.
Stamper wrote that the dogs compromised her family’s safety. “Being chased by your dogs at my house and also when walking on the streets is something I will never tolerate. Not today, not tomorrow, not in the future. I am not renting this house, I bought it.”
She said she had reported the matter to the municipality and the SPCA. “I don’t feel safe in my own yard. I can’t walk freely without having to fear your dogs. This weekend two of your dogs, the black one and the other, came running to me whilst I was cleaning my yard.”
She said she screamed for help and was helped by other neighbours.
Stamper said the neighbour had failed to apologise for shouting at her after the incident.
She said her son, also a Rhodes student, had to always have or carry a stick every time he went home. “My nine-year-old son is having nightmares as if she is being chased by the dogs. We cannot live in trauma like this.”
Mncwabe said there was something abnormal about the dogs. “I have never seen dogs like those and that is why I tried to run. I saw that it came to me viciously and bit off a part of my foot. My friends and I want justice. The people in that street are traumatised. It is bad that someone had to be hurt before awareness is made.”
Grocott’s Mail’s attempts to reach out to the owner of the dogs were unsuccessful.
The local SPCA has responded to the incident.
“It is a difficult for the SPCA to comment as the matter relates to bylaws and the SPCA does not have the authority to enforce municipal bylaws,” the organisation said in a statement.
It said its priority is the wellbeing of the animal which may entail animal care and an advisory role for the owners. “The presence of the SPCA Inspectors at the incident reflects this role and the authority of the SPCA. The SPCA also does not have the authority to remove an animal without the necessary permission from the owner.”
It said any complaints relating to municipal bylaws would need to be addressed with the relevant authorities.
For animal emergencies, the public are advised to phone the SPCA emergency line 0648208496 – please do not message or post on social media as the SPCA does not monitor these platforms.
