Pregnant woman, 34, attacked by pit bulls in Kuils River

Bongeka Sobekwa is still recovering at Tygerberg Hospital two weeks after she was attacked by two pit bulls in Kuils River.

She said she was walking to the shop after 4pm on Thursday, October 2, when the dogs attacked her in Davis Street, Highbury. 

“It was a cold afternoon. I didn't use the same street that I usually use. I took a shorter one, the Davis Street. So, as I turned right onto the street, there were two pit bulls. I told myself to just relax. They started to bark at me, and I started to say, 'Go away, '” she said.

She said the larger of the two dogs first jumped and bit her fingers, while the second one bit her buttocks. 

The larger dog then started to repeatedly bite her in the right lower leg until neighbours came out and tried to intervene, after hearing her screaming, she said.

Northern News learnt that the larger dog had to be shot with a firearm to stop it from continuing the attack.

Ms Sobekwa's boyfriend and friends arrived a while later and took her to Netcare Kuils River Hospital, where she was treated for the wounds before she was transferred to Tygerberg Hospital.

A maternity document seen by a Northern News reporter showed that she was currently seven months pregnant, but the baby was not affected by the incident.  

The general manager of Netcare in Kuils River, Dirk Truter, confirmed that Ms Sobekwa was accepted at the hospital.

"Given the serious nature of her injuries to her lower leg and the fact that she is in her second trimester of pregnancy, she was immediately classified as an urgent patient. Our medical team provided comprehensive care in our resuscitation unit, including all necessary medications and continuous monitoring to ensure the well-being of both mother and baby," he said.

She was then transferred to Tygerberg Hospital on Friday, October 3, for specialised reconstructive surgical care.

Jethro Adams, the owner of the dogs, said he was away from home during the incident, and that the video footage he obtained suggested that Ms Sobekwa provoked the animals.

“My front (burglar) gate was opened, and my door was closed. Two hours later, a strong wind came and shot the door open. The camera footage shows that the dogs came out ten minutes after the door opened. They were lying on the stoep. My friend's father came and passed. He saw the dogs and walked past. 

“Then, Bongeka came and looked at the dogs from a corner (of the street) and stood still. The dogs saw her movement. She started running past in the video footage. As she was running past, she came by the neighbour opposite to me. The dogs came there to her barking. She took her slipper off and threw it at the dog, and that's when the one dog started biting her. She provoked the dogs,” he said.

Northern News asked for the video footage from Mr Adams but he refused to share it. 

Tygerberg Hospital’s spokesperson, Laticia Pienaar, said: “We can confirm that the patient, who sustained injuries following a dog attack, is currently admitted to Tygerberg Hospital. She is in a stable condition. Her possible discharge date will depend on her recovery and the treating team’s assessment.”

In 2022, widespread reports of pit bull attacks across the country prompted the Sizwe Kuphelo Foundation to initiate a petition, which garnered over 139,000 signatures, advocating for the prohibition of the pit bull breeds as a domestic pet in South Africa.

Asked for an update on the petition, the Khupelo foundation said the government indicated that DNA research would be conducted to determine the cause of the aggression and referred the Animal Matters Amendment Act 42 of 1993 to the Department of Justice for a review. 

“There has been no feedback on the issue since our last virtual meeting of February 2023,” the foundation said.