ALSO READ: Pit Bull attacks, kills child

The deputy mayor, Mapaseka Nkoane-Mothibi, says as of January 2023, the city would require dog owners to have a licence and also to have some form of training to be the owners of any type of dog. 

She was addressing mourners gathered at the funeral of 8-year-old Olebogeng Mosime who was attacked and killed by their neighbour's Pit Bull in Vista Park, Bloemfontein, on Saturday 12 November 2022.

ALSO READ: Dog-mauling victim laid to rest

Nkoane-Mothibi described the death of the Roseview Primary School pupil as sad and painful.

“As of January, nobody will own a dog without a licence. And where is the empathy?  [Our conscience has died] so much that we see a dog’s life as more important than that of Olebogeng. I hope none of those people who have displayed absolute disregard for the boy’s life ever experience the pain that Olebogeng’s parent is experiencing. 

"I am also praying to God that your kids must never die in the manner in which Olebogeng did. I am in serious pain because [if] the owner had been responsible, none of this would have happened,” Nkoane-Mothibi adds.

According to the police, on Saturday 12 November 2022 at about 14:00, Mangaung police received a distress call from a witness about an alleged dog that was mauling a child in Vista Park.

Police spokesperson, Mahlomola Kareli, explained that after receiving this call, they rushed to the scene, and on arrival, they found emergency personnel already attending to Olebogeng who was severely injured after the Pit Bull attack.

“The aggressive dog, that was covered in blood, was spotted nearby and put down by the police members. The 8-year-old boy, lying next to the garage door in his parent's yard, was certified dead at the scene after he suffered bite wounds on the neck and chest. 

"It is alleged that the dog escaped from its enclosure, jumped over the fence, and attacked the 8-year-old boy. Mangaung police opened an inquest, and investigations continue,” Kareli added.

Nkoane-Mothibi has since thanked the police and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for their swift response after the Pit Bull’s attack. 

It’s understood that over 30 pit bulls have since been taken to the SPCA in Bloemfontein.

The killing of Olebogeng by the dog has since caused a debate in the country. 

Nkoane-Mothibi has also rallied behind those calling for the banning of pit bulls in the country. She says other countries have managed to ban the dogs and "why can’t South Africa do the same?" 

It’s understood that countries such the Netherlands, Poland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia and Italy have banned the breeding of pit bulls.

In 2018, former Mangaung mayor Papie Mokoena’s Pit Bull mauled a 2-year-old girl in Langenhoven Park when she apparently peeped over the neighbour's fence and the animal pulled her over. She died on the scene.

ALSO READ: Grandmother talks about Pit Bull tragedy

Mokoena told OFM News that his then seven-month-old Pit Bull had never been aggressive.

Pit bull owner, Papie Mokoena: 

OFM News