Pit Bull Federation SA Calls By-Laws to Regulate Ownership of Controversial Animals Following Another Attack

• The calls to ban and regulate the domestication and ownership of pit bulls in South Africa are intensifying
• The Pit Bull Association of South Africa claimed that the government and law enforcement are to blame for the increase in pit bull attacks
• This comes as another child was mauled to death by two pit bulls in the Free State on Sunday

PRETORIA - Another pit bull attack has spurred the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa has called for the enforcement of by-laws that will regulate the domestication of the dog breed.

This comes after two pit bulls attacked three-year-old Keketso Saule, mauling him to death while playing outside a neighbour's house in Sekoti Mapate Phomolong in Hennenman on Sunday, 20 November.

According to SABC News, the federation's spokesperson, Lins Rautenbach, law enforcement and the government are to blame for the increased pit bull attacks. Rautenbach claimed that banning the breed would not be sufficient and that licensing needed to be revisited.

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The spokesperson added that authorities need to assess the properties where the dogs are being kept to ensure that they are contained appropriately.

Residents of Phomolong are traumatised in the aftermath of the three-year-old's tragic mauling. Free State police spokesperson captain Stephen Thakeng said that neighbour attacked and killed one of the pit bulls setting it alight after the attack. The other dog was taken to safety by the SPCA, EWN reported.

Thakeng said that members of the Welkom Public Order Policing were dispatched to the scene to calm tensions as the community had also set its sights on the dogs' owner.

South Africans react to the latest pit bull attack

South Africans took to social media to debate the calls to ban and regulate pit bulls.

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Below are some reactions:

@Busha38467293 commented

"Owners of dogs that kill should be charged with murder. Too much killing is happening in South Africa, and the murderers get away scot-free."

@LaureenBertin added:

"MOST PEOPLE in South Africa should NOT be allowed to own a pitbull. They abuse dogs, underfeed them, chain them, and do not take them for walks."

@AbdullahKarabo asked:

"Is the government just sitting?"

@GatesBaloyi_ claimed:

"Any person found owning a pitbull should be dealt with."

@IitulaMagano asked:

"Pitbull owners keep saying it's not the dog, it's the owner. But somehow, the other breeds are not out here mauling people. All the other breeds just happen to be owned by good people, huh?"

@InstantFeeling1 claimed:

"More people die from vehicle accidents than pit bull attacks, will you advocate for the banning of vehicles too?"

Family of 8-year-old mauled to death by pit bull calls for end to misinformation, says they were “terrorised”

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In a related story, Briefly News reported that the family of the eight-year-old boy mauled to death by a pit bull in Bloemfontein has called for citizens to stop spreading false information. Olebogeng Mosime was laid to rest on Friday, 18 November.

The child’s death has sparked “ban the breed” debates on social media, leaving many divided. However, Olebogeng’s grandmother Siphiwe Litabe said people who were not present when the tragedy occurred should stop spreading misinformation.

During an interview with TimesLIVE, Litabe described her grandson as a loving boy who would be sorely missed. At the time of his death, the neighbour’s pit bull had escaped from its enclosure before entering Litabe’s yard.

Source: Briefly News