By Tapiwa Svondo
NEW Marlborough residents have spoken out after a primary school pupil was attacked by three dogs, with previous incidents reportedly going unaddressed.
The pupil, identified only as Denzel, is currently at Harare Hospital receiving treatment for injuries to his stomach, throat, and head after he was attacked by two Boerboels and one Rottweiler last Monday. The boy was on his way to school when he was attacked at the intersection of Musasa and Mapereke roads in New Marlborough.
This incident comes just three weeks after the death of Samuel Machara, who was fatally attacked by a Pitbull in Bluffhill, only five kilometres from New Marlborough.
In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com, Matthew Chifamba, a neighbour of the dogs’ owner, said the canines have long been a nuisance and have since destroyed the perimeter wall which separates their households.
“Our kitchen door faces the perimeter wall. Sometimes when we open the door, they just start barking at us, and they bulldozed our durawall.
“We have tried to engage with him (dog owner) but it seems he is not bothered by our concerns.”
Chifamba called for the dogs to be euthanised.
“Now things have escalated to this attack on the child, and to move forward, these dogs should be put down,” he said.
Aucious Mubvumbi added that the community is no longer safe as there are a lot of stray and unattended dogs in the area.
“Marlborough is now full of stray dogs. Usually, there is a pack of six dogs which roam around in the evening,” said Mubvumbi.
Meanwhile, the killer Pitbull owner, Mike Mupinga, was on Tuesday denied bail by Harare Magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa.