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By OBAKENG MAJE

Residents of Vryburg were left traumatised after four pit bulls mauled a woman to death. According to the North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh, the atrocity took place on 1 June 2021 at around 6: 30pm.

“The Vryburg police are investigating an inquest case that was reported on 1 June 2021 at around 6:30 pm. The police were summoned to a scene where a woman was allegedly attacked by four pit bull dogs of a mixed breed.

“During the arrival of the police at the scene were informed that the victim was already ferried to the local hospital. The police went to the hospital and they were shown a lifeless body of Eunice Kelemogile Duiker who suffered injuries on her legs, head, shoulders, face and arms,” Myburgh said.

According to www.time.com website, pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population, but they are responsible for 68% of dog attacks and 52% of dog-related deaths since 1982. The research was compiled by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animals 24-7, an animal-news organization that focuses on humane work and animal-cruelty prevention.

Meanwhile, the Weekend Argus newspaper reported several stories about pit bull attacks in the Western Cape where children some younger than five are mauled by pit bulls. The latest reported incident occurred in Khayelitsha where a five-year-old had her neighbour’s pit bull sunk its teeth into her head.

“The dog broke free from its chain and ran to the front yard of Milani Guzi’s Khayelitsha home and bit her as she was preparing for school. The child’s heroic mom jumped on the dog and pulled its jaws from her skull. The child was left with scars on the head and traumatised.

“In January this year, a five-year-old boy was mauled to death by two pit bulls when he went looking for his ball in a neighbour’s yard. The attack took place in Gugulethu NY50. All the pit bulls involved in these incidents were taken away by Law Enforcement’s dog unit,” the article reads.

Now opinions are split on whether pit bulls should be domesticated and whether owners should be held liable for the dogs should anything happen to people around them.

The Weekend Argus spoke to the SPCA spokesperson, Belinda Abraham who explained what a pit bull is.

“The term “pit bull” refers to mixed breed dogs with certain physical traits, such as a muscular body and broad head and applies in much the same way as “hound” applies to Greyhound or Afghan Hound, so contrary to popular belief, a pit bull is a dog type and not a specific breed. They are domesticated.”

She explained that all dogs bite but power breed owners need to accept that their dog is powerful, and historically, has a genetic predisposition to grow physiologically very quickly to extreme levels and has a propensity for animal aggression.

“For this reason, owners must take responsibility for their animal to live safely in society. Triggers for this aggression may not be clear and may manifest unexpectedly, regardless of how docile and loving they are towards you.”

She added that it is expected that pups of certain breeds should be exposed to over 100 different people from 3 – 12 weeks of age.

“The contact has to be positive, gentle with good impressions. Aggression starts in puppyhood, with the failure to develop tolerance towards children, adults, elderly people, both sexes, various races, able-bodied or disabled, calm or raucous etc. If pups do not obtain good imprinting during their impressionable period from 3-20 weeks of age, then all may be lost.”

It is also believed that many people do not spend enough quality time with their dogs. Some chain dogs for a long period of time, creating frustration.

“Dogs on chains live their entire lives being deprived of having their most basic of needs met, namely access to fresh water, food, social interaction, exercise and veterinary care. Behaviourally speaking, there is a multitude of issues that arise from keeping a dog chained, as the deprivation, this causes will take its toll on their welfare,” said the SPCA’s on-site animal behaviourist, Nicole Nel.

In short, chaining a dog is never an option. The lack of stimulation breaks their spirit and leads to unwanted behavioural issues including aggression born of frustration.

Abraham strongly believes that pit bulls are made dangerous via irresponsible breeding, a lack of training and neglect or abuse. “If there is any vilification to assign, it must be directed towards irresponsible owners. There is no such thing as ’the dog attacked for no reason. There is always a reason.”

taungdailynews@gmail.com

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By OBAKENG MAJE  

A 51-YEAR-OLD man briefly appeared at the Taung Magistrate’s Court for attempted fraud on Tuesday. According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, The Hawks, Thapelo Leonard Seabo was summoned after he attempted to defraud Road Accident Fund (RAF) of approximately R900 000.

The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso said following the death of Seabo’ wife in a car accident, he allegedly submitted fraudulent documents to RAF, which stated that the deceased was the bread winner of the family.

“Seabo alleged that as a result of her passing, they suffered a loss of financial support and submitted a claim to the tune of R900 000. Investigations were conducted and it was discovered that the deceased was unemployed and not a breadwinner of the family as alleged,” Rikhotso said.

The case was transferred to the Taung Regional Court and postponed until 18 August 2021 for further investigations.

taungdailynews@gmail.com

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By OBAKENG MAJE

Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda region calls for the suspension of the teacher at Are Fadimeheng Secondary School in Jouberton Township in Klerksdorp.

This comes after allegations that the teacher at the school impregnated a learner. According to COSAS regional coordinator, Sipho Pitso, they have received a letter of complaint from a score of learners regarding the matter.

“COSAS has learnt with great dismay and shock at the revelations that have been made by a score of learners at the school against a teacher who has been involved in a sexual relationship with a pupil and impregnated her.

“According to the learners, in a letter written to the leadership of COSAS in the region, the teacher even went on to whisk away the learner to Kroonstad where he has bribed the relatives of that learner to remain silent over the ordeal,” Pitso said.

He further said learners alleged that they have even tried to raise questions with the School Management Team (SMT) over the continued existence of the teacher in the school premises and there is a lack of decisive action against the teacher over this ‘heinous crime.’

“As the congress, we affirm the illegitimacy of sexual relationships between teachers and learners. We further call on the North West Education department to summarily deal with this monster that molests innocent pupils,” said Pitso.

Meanwhile, the North West Education Department spokesperson, Elias Malindi said: “The allegations are currently being investigated by the Labour Relations and they will issue a report soon. The victim is currently 20 years old and she gave birth when she was 19.”

Malindi said the department has not experienced many cases of this nature as this is only the third case reported in two years. In March 2021, a teacher (36) from Pinagare High School in Taung was arrested for allegedly raping a learner (15).  

There are many more of these cases happening across the country, but they do not get media coverage or are never discovered by the authorities.

According to the Mail and Guardian newspaper, in 2016, a video of a KwaZulu-Natal teacher filming himself having sex with a learner surfaced and the teacher was suspended from the high school in Nquthu.

The provincial department discovered that the man had slept with many other learners at the school.

“He was accused of luring them into his cottage where he was doing all these unspeakable things,” Mthandeni Dlungwana, the MEC of education, said in a statement at the time.

In 2018, six teachers and a principal were accused of having sex with learners at a high school in Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape.

The Daily Dispatch reported that the teachers were allegedly demanding sex from grade 11 learners in exchange for promoting them to grade 12

In 2019, three teachers from a high school in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape were arrested on charges of raping learners. The allegations were that the trio would lure the boys into their homes under the pretence that they would help them with their schoolwork, but would give them alcohol and then have sex with them.

The KwaZulu-Natal department of education said in a statement that it had suspended two teachers for “having a love affair with a learner”. One of the teachers from Umlazi Comtech High School was allegedly caught in a toilet kissing the learner.

The South African Council of Educators has for years stated in its annual reports it struggles to conclude disciplinary hearings in rural areas in particular of teachers who had sexual relationships with children because parents take bribes, sometimes in the form of groceries, from the teachers.

Once a child steps into the schoolyard, teachers take on the role of being parents to learners. They are responsible for the wellbeing of children while they are at school.

So, to put it bluntly, if a teacher has sex with a learner they are sleeping with their own child. This behaviour is disgusting and criminal.

The statement by the education department on Sunday said the learner was having “a love affair” with the two teachers. It is not a love affair. It is sexual harassment and abuse. The power dynamics between a learner and a teacher do not qualify for this to be called a “love affair”. Teachers exercise authority over learners.

The Sexual Offences Act criminalises sex with a person under the age of 16 by a person over the age of 18. The Act further “sets out that sexual acts are not voluntary if they result from an abuse of power or authority”, states a report by activist organisation Equal Education, titled Sexual Violence in Schools.

The learner in this case is 18, but it is still an unequal relationship between a schoolgirl and teachers.

The two teachers in this case are adults who preyed on a learner and coerced her into their dirty fantasies. They knowingly broke the laws that govern the profession, which make it clear that at no point should a teacher and learner have an inappropriate relationship.

The KwaZulu-Natal education department must ensure that the two teachers do not go anywhere near any school. Hopefully, the South African Council of Educators will scratch the two off the registrar of teachers.

Children already deal with a lot because they have to ensure that they do well in their studies; they should not also have to deal with adults who prey on them. It is unspeakable behaviour.

taungdailynews@gmail.com