Mapaballo Borotho
A heartbreaking incident occurred on Friday in the Marathon Informal Settlement, east of Johannesburg, where a three-year-old girl lost her life after being mauled by a pack of dogs.
The toddler, who was visiting her grandfather on the other side of the settlement, was walking alone through a narrow passage when she was attacked by approximately five dogs.
Despite efforts to assist the child, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after the attack.
Councilor Geoffery Mthembu from ward 93 in the City of Ekurhuleni revealed that this is the third incident involving the same group of dogs in the area.
“The child’s mother is terminally ill and currently battling Stage 4 cancer, which further compounds the grief and devastation facing this family,” said Cllr Mthembu, who visited the bereaved family and the scene of the incident to offer condolences and assess the situation.
Mthembu noted that the two previous incidents involving the same group of dogs resulted in other children surviving, though with trauma. “The dogs have been repeatedly described by the community as highly aggressive and dangerous,” he emphasised.
In response to the incident, community members took matters into their own hands by demolishing the shacks reportedly belonging to the dogs’ owner, during which seven puppies were killed.
While understanding the community’s anger and frustration, Mthembu urged residents to allow the authorities to intervene in such cases.
The local South African Pest Control Association (SPCA) and Mthembu are set to request urgent intervention regarding the handling and removal of these dogs to prevent further loss of life.
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