Lawyers to assist dog-attack victim
This comes after Ms Martha Ntjangule was bitten by the dogs on her buttocks, legs, arms and back on the premises of Mabalel Hotel where she worked as a yard cleaner.
MBOMBELA – There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the 28-year-old domestic worker who was recently bitten by her employer’s dogs and dismissed from her work.
Lawyers of Peter Nel Attorneys have shown interest in the story published by Mpumalanga News on November 14 and had asked contact details of the victim to help her open cases regarding her dismissal and the dog bites. “The owner should take responsibility and take care of his dogs,” said Mr Andrew Mashego of the firm. He mentioned that his firm was currently busy with a similar case in Lydenburg in which a doctor’s dogs bit his employee.
“This behaviour is not allowed, and the victims need to be handled correctly,” he added.
This comes after Ms Martha Ntjangule was bitten by the dogs on her buttocks, legs, arms and back on the premises of Mabalel Hotel where she worked as a yard cleaner.
Ntjangule told this newspaper that it was not the first time that the dogs had bitten her while working on the premises. She said her boss’ wife took her to a private doctor in Karino, two kilometres from the hotel but she was only referred to Rob Ferreira Hospital.
This newspaper received calls from readers who wanted to know why the private doctor couldn’t treat Ntjangule and had learnt that she was apparently left outside
Dr Venter’s room which was about to close.
When speaking to the doctor this weekend, this newspaper learnt that Ntjangule had no cash, no employer’s letter, or anything with her.
“The lady was without anything, she was left outside when we were about to close. She had nothing with her and I asked if I could refer her to Rob to which she agreed as her condition was not urgent,” said Venter.
“Her employer didn’t say anything to me concerning her, so I referred her to Rob Ferreira,” he said.
Venter mentioned that in the past he used to treat workers from the surrounding farms who were dropped at the surgery room because he had made prior arrangements with their employers.
An amount of R2 000 was paid to Ntjangule by her employers after she asked police to talk to them. She was, however, surprised when she returned to work the following week to be told she had been dismissed.
The hotel owner, known only as Mr Bhila, confirmed that his dogs had bitten Ntjangule when she provoked them with a broomstick. He said that Ntjangule voluntarily resigned from her work and demanded two months’ advance payment, which was paid to her and an affidavit was signed.
