"Regulation Must Be Enforced": SA Calls for Pit Bull Ban After Granny Is Mauled

• One granny's shocking revelation caused a massive stir on social media, leaving many people in their feelings
• The woman's daughter shared insight into her mother's life and how the incident had occurred on that specific day
• South Africans reacted by heading to the comments section to express their thoughts, while some called for pit bulls to be banned in Mzansi

A granny has suffered serious injuries after being attacked on the way home from church by a neighbour's pit bull.

Granny mauled by pit bull

According to IOL news, while returning home from Sunday service on Baileybridge Road in Stonebridge, Thawanie Perumall, 62, was mauled by a dog that belonged to a fellow churchgoer.

Nikosa Perumall, the woman's daughter, told the publication that although her mother walked the same path every day to go to church, she claimed that this was the first time she had seen the dog.

She explained that her mom was walking with her friend, whose pit bull it was, as their homes were 10 minutes away from the church.

"The dog escaped from the yard and attacked my mother," said Nikosa

Nikosa added that her mother was walking with her granddaughter, but Nikosa's child walked a bit faster to arrive at home early, and was thankful that her daughter did not encounter that horrifying moment.

The pit bull had reportedly broken loose from its leash, jumped over the neighbour’s retaining wall and and attacked Thawanie, causing serious injuries. The elderly owner couldn't help her, but a passer-by and the owner's grandson intervened. Thawanie was taken to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where she was treated.

Nikosa also revealed that there had been a previous incident where the dog aggressively attacked someone on the road.

“The dog ripped into my mother’s right arm, from her elbow to her shoulder, tearing her muscles. She was given a tetanus shot and is receiving treatment for her wounds. However, she is unable to move her arm and is in a lot of pain. Right now she is not very coherent because of her trauma and cannot remember what happened. She lost a lot of blood and blacked out during the attack. Her body is also bruised because the dog jumped on her. She is still in shock and very traumatised by the ordeal,” said Perumall who told the publication.

Thawanie's family has decided not to press charges against the dog owner after a discussion with her mother's friends. They agreed to put the dog down after witnessing the pain and trauma it caused. The owner, who was with Thawanie when the attack occurred, said they had issues with the dog and agreed to take it to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

SA chimes in on the pit bull attack

The incident has also sparked discussions about responsible pet ownership and community safety, as many took to the comments section to share their thoughts, saying:

Ta Seth said:

"The SA government is useless should have banned these dogs a long time ago, but no, they are nursing the feelings of a certain race mxm."

Prudence Mayaba expressed:

"But this breed is the only breed that is always on the news, you might train it whatever, so ever, but it is still aggressive, no matter how friendly it is as a pet, still dangerous."

Mualusi Matloga Mugwena shared:

"I love dogs with all my heart, but pitbull is a big no for me, the dog has caused more sorrow than happiness."

Jimaro Banda wrote

"A regulation must be enforced on people owning pitbulls. Same as a gun license."

More pit bull attack stories

• Briefly News reported that the mother of a 10-year-old from Galeshwe, Kimberley, Northern Cape, who will need reconstructive surgery after a pitbull mauled her on 1 April 2025, demanded that the owner be held accountable.
• A four-year-old boy was a victim of a brutal pit bull attack in Cape Town. The intense incident landed the child in the ICU, where he is fighting for his life.
• These men were not backing off as they fought for their dear lives in a now-viral video making rounds on social media.

Source: Briefly News