By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Free State police have confirmed a three-year-old boy has died after he was attacked and mauled by two pit bulls while he was playing with his friends.
The boy and his friends were playing at a house in Sekoti Mpate Phomolong Hennenman on Sunday morning at about 08:15, when the attack occurred.
Police spokesperson, Captain Stephen Thakeng, said the dogs bit the boy until he died in the yard.
“Angry residents wanted to kill both dogs and attack the owner of these two pit bulls. Members of Welkom Public Order Policing were summoned to the scene and removed the owner to a safe place.”
The residents attacked the dogs, killing one of them with garden spades and stones before setting the animal on fire.
The mob turned on SPCA staff who responded to the incident, said Virginia SPCA’s Ernest Khakhau.
“We had to vacate the place because we were attacked. We left one dog there. The other dog had managed to escape, and we removed that dog, which has been euthanised,” Khakhau said.
Thakeng stated: “We can confirm that the staff of SPCA was attacked by angry residents, but nobody got injured. Members of Welkom Public Order Policing and Hennenman SAPS managed to rescue them.”
Hennenman police have since opened an inquest for further investigation, and deployed public order policing to the area.
Just last week an eight-year old boy was mauled to death by a pit bull at his home in Bloemfontein . That dog also belonged to the child’s neighbour, police said.
The boy had been playing in his yard in Vista Park when the dog jumped over the fence and attacked him.
Bloemfontein SPCA reported that 49 dogs were surrendered following the boys death.