Hundreds of Pittbulls killed out of fear for children

Hundreds of Pitbulls killed out of fear that more will hurt children

By Andries van Zyl A spate of fatal American Pitbull Terrier (Pitbull) attacks across South Africa the past two weeks has caused a media frenzy and a huge public outcry, causing hundreds of Pitbull owners to surrender their dogs to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). In some communities, Pitbull owners who refused to surrender their dogs were threatened and their dogs forcefully removed by angry citizens in retaliation. These dogs were then killed in the most horrific ways, including being stabbed or stoned to death, set alight and even dragged behind cars.

At the time of our going to press, five fatal dog attacks had taken place across the country the past two weeks. The most recent was a 37-year-old Eastern Cape woman who was mauled to death. In the other four attacks, four children were killed. Although the breed of some of the dogs involved in these attacks is yet to be determined, most of the victims were killed by Pitbulls.

SPCAs across the country are now faced with the aftermath of these attacks. By Tuesday this week, the Louis Trichardt SPCA alone had to put down 24 Pitbulls since the start of the attacks. In the first week following the first attack, the Bloemfontein SPCA is said to have humanely euthanised 230 Pitbulls. Due to the aggressive nature of the Pitbull “power breed”, surrendered dogs are difficult to place in new homes, with home owners, especially those with children, reluctant to adopt them. This leaves the SPCA with very few options other than to humanely euthanise these surrendered dogs.

“The thing with a Pitbull, in some cultures, is that it is a status symbol. The first dog people ask for when they come to us is: ‘I want a Pitbull”. What happens then, maybe out of ignorance, is that these dogs are either chained up or kept in cages. This is what makes them aggressive. In some cases, even the dog owner becomes scared of their own dog,” said Alicia Thomas of the Louis Trichardt SPCA.

Thomas said that Pitbulls were aggressive by nature. This aggressiveness is exacerbated by people’s keeping the dogs chained up, caged up or teaching them to fight. “Pitbulls were bred to fight, but once again it comes back to how you raise your dog,” said Thomas. Interestingly enough, Thomas said that Chihuahuas bit more people than Pitbulls, but because they were not a power breed, they did not inflict so much damage. “Any dog can bite. It is just the way they are raised,” Thomas said.

The 24 Pitbulls that had to be put down at the local SPCA mostly came for rural areas around Elim, Waterval and even Musina. “Not all the dogs that were surrendered were aggressive. In many cases, the dog owners merely feared for their dogs’ lives,” said Thomas.

Sadly, the current “kill campaign” brought out the worst in human nature. In one incident, a Polokwane man advertised that people could phone him to “sort out their problems” by killing Pitbulls. “This man was reported,” said Thomas. The public’s vengeance is also not limited to Pitbulls, with some people targeting all large power-breed dogs. “Where we were scared of dogs being stolen for dog-fighting purposes in the past, we area now worried that dogs can be harmed or poisoned just because they are a power breed,” said Thomas.

Regarding this, Thomas gave dog owners, especially Pitbull owners, a couple of tips. “If you have a Pitbull, please ensure that you are extra vigilant about your dog(s) at this time. They have always been a target of theft and dog-fighting syndicates, but now the risks are greater. They should never be at the front gate, in plain sight of the public passing by. Temperatures are running high, and until this situation is diffused, crazy things can, and will, happen,” said Thomas. This warning also extends to owners of all large power-breed dogs.

For people considering a power breed as pet, especially to act as a deterrent against crime in crime-infested South Africa, Thomas urged people to do their homework around any breed that they plan on bringing into their life and home. “Taking in an animal is a lifetime responsibility, and the mix must be right for all. Let’s not set dogs up for failure, but let’s also have a clear understanding of the traits of each breed. Should you need advice in this regard, please contact us,” said Thomas.

As for the current situation, Thomas believes the worst is yet to come and the issue is taking a severe emotional toll on SPCA members, especially having to put down perfectly healthy animals in direct conflict with the SPCA’s mandate to protect all animals. “We do not want to discourage people from surrendering their animals, but this [situation] is difficult. Apart from the emotional toll, it also has a cost implication. Euthanasia is not cheap. But in the end, these dogs are still better off being humanely euthanised by us, rather than being tortured to death by community members … The only ones at fault here are humans. It is not the dogs’ fault,” said Thomas.

People wanting help or needing more information on how to surrender their dogs are urged to phone inspector Lawrence Khodobo at Tel 082 965 5151. No one will be turned away.

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Inspector Lawrence Khodobo of the Louis Trichardt SPCA with one of the many perfectly healthy pitbulls that were surrendered to them. Photo: Louis Trichardt SPCA.

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The unfinished Waterval stadium. Security guards deny members of the press entry to the stadium. Photo: Thembi Siaga.

It’s not my fault that stadium is not finished, says Waterval contractor

By Thembi Siaga The contractor responsible for phase 3 of the Waterval stadium denied that he is the cause of the delay in completing the stadium. He responded to last week’s article in Limpopo Mirror, where the Makhado Municipality’s spokesperson is quoted as saying that the stadium is nearing completion.

The empty promises about when the stadium will be ready to be utilised have caused anger among the local community as well as the soccer clubs hoping to use the facilities. The multi-million rand projected started more than five years ago. The tender for phase 3, the final stage of the project, was R28,4 million. The stadium was supposed to be finished more than a year ago.

A visit to the stadium showed that no construction had been done for some time as the untended soccer field was overgrown with long grass. Two security guards are on duty who said that they had instructions not to allow any person from the media to enter the facility or take photos of the unfinished stadium.

Two weeks ago, the Makhado Municipality’s spokesperson, Louis Bobodi, said that the smooth flow of the construction was hampered and delayed by, among others, the installation of a power transformer. “We are currently on course towards the realisation of the project as we are about to finalise securing quotations to complete the surfacing of running tracks and grassing,” said Bobodi.

What Bobodi seemingly omitted, was that the delay in the project has been caused by unfinished work by the contractors responsible for previous phases of the project.

During an interview earlier this week with Dr Crosby Mulungwa, the owner/manager of Valcross Trading Enterprise, he said that his company had not caused the delay. Valcross was appointed to complete phase 3 of the project. “I have completed the scope of my work, but the contractor of phase 2 did not complete his job. Hence, he was supposed to come back and finalise what is left,” he said.

Mulungwa said that he had handed over the completion certificate to the Makhado Municipality on 28 June this year. “The Makhado Municipality is still owing me my last payment and the remaining job is for the contractor of phase 2,” he said. He added that his scope of work entailed the construction of a 2 000-seat precast pavilion, gabions and buttresses, an ablution block with changing rooms, and the construction of a guardhouse.

“My scope of work also includes the installation of electricity and [connecting] the transformer from Eskom that delayed us, as well as water reticulation to the ablution, the installation of floodlights, and the paving of the entire area,” he said.

Detailed questions were sent to the municipality’s spokesperson, Louis Bobodi. He was asked who the contractor for phase 2 of the project was and what work still needed to be done by this contractor. Bobodi was also asked whether the municipality still owed Valcross Trading Enterprise any money and, if so, when this phase of the project would be finalised. In spite of follow-up messages asking Bobodi to please respond, he did not do so by Wednesday.

Toni told to pay back the VBS debt

(From page 1)

Judging by the court papers, the curator tried hard to get Mphephu to service the debt or give the vehicles back, so that they could be sold to cover part of the debt. Eventually, the court was asked to give an instruction.

In his ruling that was made available on Tuesday, Judge Motsamai Makume wasted no time in dealing with Mphephu’s objections. He mentioned that in a letter dated 8 July 2021, Mphephu’s attorney stated that he would service the debt or return the vehicles. When the curator later insisted that the vehicles be returned, the excuses started mounting.

The first objection from Mphephu’s legal representative was that VBS Mutual Bank was not registered as a credit provider and thus not allowed to render credit. He also argued that the credit was extended in a reckless manner because Mphephu would clearly not have been able to afford the instalments on the debt.

Proof was provided that VBS was (and still is) registered as a credit provider. A summary of Mphephu’s income at the time was also provided, which indicated that he had received large sums of money from a variety of businesses and individuals. Several examples of such funds were filed, among others payments by Mmampilo Petroleum (R341 776), Vele Investments (R438 929) and Venmont Holdings (R145 370). He also received a salary from the government as ruler of the Vhavenda nation.

Judge Makume could not be persuaded by the argument that no proper credit vetting had been done on Mphephu before he was given the loans. “The Respondent’s version is so far-fetched and legally untenable and requires no further consideration,” he said.

Mphephu’s lawyers then tried to argue that the debt had prescribed, because it was more than three years old. The fact that Mphephu had admitted in 2021 that he owed the money and that he was fully aware of the debt made this argument moot.

In yet another attempt to get out of the debt, Mphephu’s legal team argued that a process was underway to place him in debt rescue. They had also lodged a complaint with the National Credit Regulator. The argument was raised (at a very late stage in the process) that because the matter was now being dealt with by the National Credit Regulator and the Tribunal, another court could not rule on it.

Judge Makume pointed out that no “matter pending” concerning Mphephu was before a tribunal, “…in this matter, all that the Respondent relies on is the letter to the Regulator. There is nothing pending immediately before the Tribunal or before a Debt Review Counsellor,” he said. Because the complaint brought by Mphephu falls outside the time frame allowed for such a response, he also reckoned that it should not be dealt with.

The judge was not very flattering when he described Mphephu’s conduct. “In the Replying Affidavit, the Liquidator dealt extensively in responding to the Answering Affidavit and in my view exposed the Respondent’s dishonesty at various levels. The Respondent’s evidence and version crawls with contradictions and inconsistence and has completely distorted the reality,” he said.

Apart from the more than R5,58 million that Mphephu must repay, he is also responsible for the cost of the court case.

Several attempts to contact Mphephu on Wednesday were unsuccessful. He only responded late in the morning, saying that he was still going to sit down with his lawyers to study the court documents. Only once they have a good understanding of what was said will they be able to plan the way forward.