Cape Town - Disgruntled community members in Philippi are reeling in shock after two people were allegedly mauled to death by three Rottweilers in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Another person, who was also lacerated by the dogs, allegedly owned by a local farmer, was rushed to hospital.
It was unclear what, if anything, provoked the dogs.
But angry residents took their frustrations out on the farmer’s property and set structures alight.
One of the deceased, Riedewaan Sias, was found lying outside, on the road near the farm.
According to witnesses, his face bore the brunt of his injuries as it was littered with bite marks.
Weekend Argus understands that Sias was walking to the nearby Egoli informal settlement shortly after 3am with another man when they allegedly saw the dogs attack a woman, who later succumbed to her wounds.
The identity of the woman is unknown.
According to locals, the pair attempted to help her but were soon targeted by the animals.
Sias’ partner of 17 years, Eleanor Jeftha, said she was still trying to come to terms with what had happened.
“The news still need to sink in,” a sobbing Eleanor said.
“His face had a lot of bite marks … the man I saw there, was not the man I have known and loved for all these years.”
Eleanor added: “I can’t… I don’t… I don’t know what else to say.”
An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, said Sias, a father of one, was naked as his clothes were ripped to pieces.
“He didn’t even have underpants on or socks,” the man, who alerted the cops, said.
Jeftha’s older brother, Christo, said he wants to know why the dogs were left to roam unleashed.
“I have no idea why they were unleashed, it’s a mystery and something we also want to know.”
A member of the local neighbourhood watch, who requested to remain anonymous, said it’s not uncommon for residents to unleash their dogs at night.
“It’s a crime-ridden area, what do you expect?” he asked.
“The township residents break in most of the time and steal the farm owner’s stuff.”
The farmer was not at his farm when Weekend Argus wanted to pose questions to him and attempts to reach him on a number provided were unsuccessful.
The police said details surrounding the incident were being investigated.
“During the early hours of (Saturday morning) at around 3am a 38-year-old male and a 39-year-old female were killed by dogs in Philippi,” spokesperson Colonel André Traut said.
“The circumstances surrounding the death inquests are under police investigations.
“The dogs were taken away from the scene.”
When Weekend Argus arrived at the scene, numerous residents were leaving the area as the City’s Fire and Rescue services worked on dousing out structures that had been set alight.
The Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) confirmed that its inspectors assisted Law Enforcement and SAPS official impound three dogs after the incident.
“We only assisted to remove three dogs there,” said SPCA chief inspector Jaco Pieterse.
“There were three Rottweiler dogs and our inspectors went to remove them but they were impounded by the police.”
“The dogs were not violent and the inspectors assisted with the handling and transportation of the dogs.”
He cautioned dog owners on farms to properly fence their properties, put signs up as a notice to warn people against entering private properties.
“If people want to own dogs they need to make sure that their property is adequately fenced as per the law.
“Secondly, if the dogs are aggressive they need to put the sign board on the fencing so that people are cautioned that there are aggressive dogs in the property.
“Thirdly we do not encourage people to trespass into people’s properties without knowing if there are dogs in the property,” said Pieterse.
Weekend Argus