Eastleigh resident risks own safety to help a man in need
“When I heard the cries, I wondered to myself why someone was screaming for help.”
Sixty-two-year-old Leonard Shabalala came to the rescue of a man who was attacked by his own dog.
The incident occurred on July 8 at a property on Main Road Eastleigh, a few houses down from where Leonard lives.
While speaking to an acquaintance in front of his home, Leonard heard a woman scream for help.
“When I heard the cries, I wondered to myself why someone would scream for help.”
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After a short run and some further investigation, Leonard soon discovered why.
When he arrived at the property, Leonard and a fellow bystander went to the gate to see what had caused the commotion.
“I saw a man on the ground and woman between him and the dog trying to separate them.”
Leonard said although there was a second dog on the property, he was not concerned about it and jumped into the property to assist the woman.
“The woman tried to pull the dog of the man while the domestic worker sprayed water at the dog with a hosepipe.”
Upon closer inspection, Leonard saw the dog had bitten the man on his neck.
“I tried to pull the dog’s neck to stop him from biting the man, but the dog was very strong and wouldn’t move,” said Leonard.
“There was blood everywhere and it looked like the man’s ear had also been injured.”
Once Leonard realised the dog would not move, he tried a different approach.
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He pulled the dog’s front paws backwards, to weaken its grip on the man and force it to release him.
Once the dog was off the man it was restrained with belts and moved away.
“I told people to bring blankets and pillows so we could apply pressure to the man’s injuries.”
While Leonard attended to the man, his family tried to call emergency services and the police, who did not answer.
Leonard told the family to stop wasting their time by making phone calls and instead take the man to a hospital themselves.
A fellow neighbour of the family assisted Leonard to stabilise the injured man and load him in the vehicle.
Once loaded in the vehicle the man was transported to a nearby hospital.
Mariaan Coetzee, Leonard’s employer, said when Leonard returned home, he was covered in blood.
“His jeans were black from the blood, but Leonard didn’t have any injuries.”
Leonard said he helped the man because he knew the man was in pain and in danger.
“I could just imagine the pain the man went through and I just wanted to make it stop.”
On July 11, the daughter of the injured man, who did not wish to be identified, said her father was in hospital in a stable condition and out of the intensive care unit.
She thanked Leonard profusely for assisting her father.
“It’s been a traumatic experience for the family, but Leonard is a hero, there’s no doubt about it.”
“He saved my dad’s life. If it wasn’t for him my dad may not be alive today.”
*The daughter requested that her family’s identity be withheld.
