Couple almost mauled to death by pit bulls
They are now demanding R20, 000 each respectively as a form of compensation from the owner of the dogs for pain and suffering as a result of the attack.
It was only through God’s miracle that two Good Samaritans came to our rescue after my girlfriend and I were viciously attacked by two pit bulls, who almost mauled us to death while returning from work, on Monday afternoon.”
These are the chilling words of Silverglen resident, 28-year-old Msusa ‘Shariff’ Mustapher, who considers himself lucky to have survived the incident along with his girlfriend, 35-year-old Madliwana ‘Thembi’ Babalwa.
They are now demanding R20, 000 each respectively as a form of compensation from the owner of the dogs for pain and suffering as a result of the attack.
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It is alleged that this is not the first time that the dogs attacked residents on Riversdale Road. Mustapher expressed his disappointment and anger at the lack of concern that the owner had shown to his girlfriend and him, claiming that the attack could have been worse.
When the Rising Sun visited him, he showed the team the extent of his physical injuries sustained during the incident. He suffered injuries to his face, body, arms and also lost his right ear lobe. Due to the severity of the injuries, he is now unable to walk.
Mustapher said that he was shocked as to how he survived the attack.
“It was only through God’s grace that two men saved my life. After a while, I became weak and tired. I couldn’t fight them (the pit bulls) anymore and I just gave up. They were too strong and aggressive. During the ordeal with the dogs, I lost my phone and wallet, which contained R700. I want the owner of the dogs to pay us R20, 000 each for our pain and suffering. I know that money will not fix the problem but it will help. I thank God that we are still alive. I opened a case at the Chatsworth police station and they have advised me to go to Metro Police since they have a dog unit,” he said.
Babalwa, who was also a victim, could not hold back her tears. She does not know where she found the strength to escape the dogs. One of the neighbours, who stepped in and saved the couple during the attack, Selvan Iyappen, stated that he was in fear while he witnessed the terrifying attack by the the two dogs but he knew he had to step in to save their lives.
Iyappen said, “I normally read about pit bull attacks in the newspaper. I was more angry because this should not have happened in the first place because as an owner of such vicious dogs, he should have taken better precautions to keep the public safe. I was extremely horrified to see the gruesome pictures of the victim’s body following the attack.”
He also claimed that this is not the first time an incident of this nature occurred in the neighbourhood.
“Recently, a small child was also attacked by the dogs,” he further claimed.
The marketing manager of the Durban and Coast SPCA, Tanya Fleischer, said, “We weren’t involved in this instance and therefore cannot comment,” she said.
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The owner of the dogs, who did not want to confirm his name, said that he is aware of this incident and made it clear that he does not want to comment. He then sent a message via WhatsApp to the Rising Sun journalist asking to set up an appointment.
“Hi, thank you for calling me this morning. I would be glad to have a conversation with you about the alleged dog story. As I mentioned to you, the conversation between us this morning is not for any articles or use by yourself, entity or any newspaper in anyway. You may book an appointment with me to discuss how we would like to proceed with regards to your query. Have a nice day,” he said in the WhatsApp message.
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