Johannesburg - The grandmother of the eight-year-old boy from Vista Park, Free State, who was mauled to death by a pitbull, has told TimesLIVE Premium of her last memories with her grandson.
Olebogeng Mosime was laid to rest on Friday. His grandmother, Siphiwe Litabe, said the death of her grandson continues to haunt her to this day.
The eight-year-old was mauled to death by a pitbull on November 12 while playing at his home in Bloemfontein. Mosime is the second child to die after a pitbull attack in the province.
His death comes after a three-year-old suffered the same fate last week. Litabe described her grandson as a loving, caring, and compassionate person who would share his possessions with other children at school.
The police in the province has since opened an inquest docket following the death of three-year-old Keketso Saule, who was mauled to death by two pitbulls at Hennenman in the Free State. The incident happened in the neighbour’s yard.
"There is a lot that I miss about him. We were expecting a lot from him. He was a bright child. He wanted to become a police officer or a soldier. He would say, 'I want to be a police officer or soldier.' He would say, 'I hate this crime that is happening in the world.' He was a loving, caring, compassionate, and giving person who would share his last pencil or crayon with other kids," Litabe said.
Litabe added that her grandson and other family members spent their last moments at McDonald’s, where they had a good time as a family in preparation for a family wedding on November 12.
"Usually, we spend time until 10 pm, but that day, we parted ways. They came here, and left their things, and they went to my mother's house. We came in, and he went to the bedroom to play Playstation. We usually leave the door open. The garage door was open, and my daughter came in screaming, ‘Mama, mama, there are dogs in the yard.' We peeped through the window. Then we saw those dogs in our yard, then we heard someone screaming my daughter's name. I opened the door a little bit just to see who was screaming.
“Then I saw a neighbour saying my daughter must come and open the gate so they can take the dogs out. Then I asked her: 'How can they come out not knowing where the dog is because we are afraid to come out?' Then they said, ' Just throw me the key.' Olebogeng was standing just in front of me as he was about to throw the key. It happened so quickly when I opened the door, and the door was a bit ajar. When I opened the door a bit further so we could throw the key, the dog was in front of the car. We did not see it come in. We just saw the dog in front of the car.
"I was holding the hand with another hand, while on the other hand I was holding the door because I wanted to just pull him inside the house. The dog was just standing there looking at us, and we tried to throw the key. I tried to just pull him towards the house, but it was already too late," she said.
The Star