An eight-year-old-boy mauled to death by neighbours’ pit bull

An eight-year-old boy has been mauled to death by a neighbours’ pit bull at his home in Vista Park near Bloemfontein. The dog that killed grade 3 learner, Olebogeng Mosime had allegedly belonged to the neighbour.

It’s understood the dog escaped the yard and jumped over the fence into a neighbouring property on Saturday.

The Police’s Mahlomola Kareli says the dog attacked the child who was playing at home. Before mauling him severely on his neck and chest.

TOO LATE TO RESCUE AS NEIGHBOURS PIT BULL KILLS BOY

Emergency services were called out to attend to the scene, and told that a dog had bitten a child. Upon their arrival, however, emergency services personnel found the child lying dead by the garage door.

The pit bull was still in the yard, covered in blood. It is then said that the emergency response officer then retrieved his firearm. Shot the dog, but the dog did not go down.

It was only when SAPS members arrived and opened multiple shots that the dog went down.

According to reports, South Africa has the highest incidence of dog attack deaths in the world, relative to population.

Just last month, a 10-year-old boy from Gqeberha, named Storm Nuku was also mauled to death by the family’s two pit bulls.

PETITION AGAINST PIT BULL

Meanwhile, more than 45 000 people have signed a petition to ban South Africans from keeping pit bulls as pets.

The Sizwe Kupelo Foundation started this petition which it is putting forward to Minister Thoko Didiza of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

The foundation says that the call has been necessitated by the attacks which seem to continue unabated.

Founder and patron, Sizwe Kupelo, wrote: “We cannot continue losing young people like Storm Nuku to these vicious dogs that have shown time and again that they should not be kept as pets.