Eye witness shares her account of fatal attack

Tonki Rice, a Sunnyridge resident, recently shared her account of events during the fatal dog attack on Laerskool Oosterkruin groundskeeper with the Germiston City News, (see GCN, January 9).

The 49-year-old groundskeeper was attacked by three pitbulls in Weert Road on December 27, and was pronounced dead on scene.

“On Saturday afternoon, December 27, I left my home at approximately 3.30pm to collect the take aways I had ordered,” Rice began.

“I drove along Batavia Street and stopped at the stop street that corners Batavia Street and Weert Road.

“I was about to cross the street when I happened to look to my right (down Weert Road) and thought I saw a man on the pavement playing with three dogs.

“It was then that I heard the screams so I reversed and drove towards him.

“I found the man in a crouching position with three dogs attacking him – I screamed and kept my hand on the hooter, but the dogs continued their attack -a woman in a white Golf had followed me down the road and we both carried on hooting and shouting at the dogs, but they still didn’t stop.

“A woman arrived in a 4×4, and when she realised what was happening she handed me a five litre bottle of water which I threw onto the pavement, the bottle burst and two of the three dogs ran home, which was across the road, a third, black and white dog continued to attack the man.

“I picked up the victim’s shoe and hat and threw it at the dog, by this time more people had arrived on the scene, the dog left the victim and went across the road and continued barking.

“It was then that someone call the police and an ambulance, both took a very long time to arrive.

“The woman in the 4×4 said she had phoned someone to assist, it was then a man arrived in a white bakkie, he had a gun with him, he fired a shot into the pavement causing the black and white dog to run from the scene.

“I took a bottle of water and bent over the victim, I poured a little water on his forehead, it was then that I saw how badly the victim was bleeding.

“I asked two men that were on the scene to please try to turn the victim on his side as I was concerned that he would choke on all the blood.

“A woman appeared with small medical kit but I don’t think she could do very much for the victim’s wounds, it was impossible to find the man’s pulse on his arms as they had been badly torn apart during the attack, his neck was also very badly damaged.

“I honestly believe that the man was nearly or already dead, his eyes were open and glazed, he was bleeding from the mouth and nose and a number of bite marks on his head.

“When somebody shouted that the dog was on its way back to Weert Road and everybody ran and jumped back into their cars and waited, the animal again changed direction and I am not sure where it went.

“I asked the woman next door to where I had seen the dogs run to if the owners of the dogs were on holiday, she said she had seen them in the morning – the owners arrived home and it seemed they were in total disbelief, I did not speak to them.

“I would like to say my first concern was to try and save the man’s life,” Rice concluded.

The Primrose police continue to investigate the incident as a culpable homicide.