Central SA
SPCA warns against handing dogs to 'municipal workers'─── HEIDRÈ MALGAS 16:02 Wed, 23 Nov 2022
Welkom residents are advised to be on the lookout for criminals pretending to be municipal workers and demanding that residents hand over their pit bulls, as per instruction by the Matjhabeng Local Municipality.
According to the municipality, this unsettling occurrence started after calls to ban pit bulls. This was in response to an incident in Hennenman over the weekend where two pit bulls killed a 3-year-old child.
According to a statement by the Matjhabeng Municipality, the SPCA chairperson for Virginia and Bloemfontein, Thea Smit, is not only horrified by the incident but also warns residents to be careful. Smit indicated that while they will not take dogs by force but pit bull owners may surrender them voluntarily to the SPCA.
Smit also cautioned against giving any type of dog to just anyone, citing the fact that dog fighting rings and syndicates are taking advantage of the situation to steal dogs.
Residents of Matjhabeng are reminded to never give their dogs to anyone who is not in a marked car or who is not wearing an SPCA or police uniform.
