A Bonnievale family is seeking justice after a 14-year-old girl and her grandmother were allegedly attacked by a farmer’s pit bulls, leaving the pair severely injured.
A BONNIEVALE family is seeking justice after a 14-year-old girl and her grandmother were allegedly attacked by a farmer’s pit bulls, leaving the pair severely injured.
Three siblings, aged 14, 11 and eight years old, were reportedly in fields looking for firewood when they came across the dogs, who charged at them.
The 14-year-old tried to fight the dogs, while the younger siblings ran home to call for help.
Their 55-year-old grandmother, Thandeku Gladys Xanywa, rushed to the scene but was also injured while trying to fight off the dogs from her grandchild.
The pair were reportedly rescued by farmworkers in the area and rushed to hospital. The grandmother was discharged on Friday while the teen is recovering in hospital.
Xanywa said they were left traumatised by the incident and want justice. The family, who have lived on the farm since 2001 while under the employment of the previous owner, said things changed when the new owner bought the farm in 2016.
The new owner has made several attempts to evict the family, she said.
“We hoped the farmer would come to our home after the incident to find out what happened and what he would do to assist us. This has been a difficult time for us, we are unemployed. We hoped he would have assisted in some way.
“All we want now is justice, the farmer has shown us that he doesn’t care or won’t take any responsibility for what happened to our family,“ she said.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the incident was under investigation.
“Reports suggested that three minors were walking on a nearby farm in Bonnievale on August 20. Allegedly, three dogs came running in their direction. Two children escaped but an older woman who arrived to help the third one sustained injuries. Two victims were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
“A criminal case was registered on September 1 when the older person informed Bonnievale SAPS. Bonnievale SAPS registered an inquiry for further investigation,” Swartbooi said.
Attempts to reach the farmer on Sunday were unsuccessful.
Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation executive director Billy Claasen said they would assist the family with civil action against the farmer.
“We are of the view that dogs like these should have been behind proper fencing. The family could have been killed by these dogs and the farmer goes on as if it is nothing.
“He does not care about the trauma the family went through because he took the dogs for a drive and let them run in front of his bakkie close to the house of this family.
“This is the same farmer who tried to evict them several times. In the past they have opened several cases at the Bonnievale police station and nothing has happened,” he said.
Nosey Pieters, the president of the Black Association of the Wine and Spirits Industry (Bawsi), said: “I am no longer shocked by these kinds of incidents on the farms. We have to look at the history between the farmer and that family.
“The fact that the farmer has made several attempts to evict them, you have no choice but to ask whether we are dealing with foul play and whether there is malice in this incident.
“Farmers use all kinds of tactics to get people off their land, and they get away with it.”
