Gauteng woman plans to sue after dog attack

A woman from Gauteng is considering legal action against the owners of the dogs that allegedly attacked her a few days ago.

Refiloe Motseothata, 57, was attacked by two dogs in Lindhaven, Roodepoort, while she was walking on the street last Tuesday.

Motseothata said she was seeking legal advice in order to sue the dogs’ owner.

Seeking legal advice to sue dogs’ owner

It is alleged that the dogs belong to Planet Seating, an office furniture store in Roodepoort.

“I need them to pay for what their dogs did to me. The fact that they attacked me on the street shows that they are negligent,” she said.

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Motseothata said the attack left her traumatised and she had sleepless nights due to pain and nightmares.

Motseothata said the dogs came out when an employee opened the gate for a car that was waiting outside.

She said she heard him shouting and trying to stop the dogs as they jumped on her.

Injuries to shoulder and hands

She fell to the ground and sustained injuries on her shoulder and hands. The dogs started to pull her clothes and one of them bit her on the right ankle.

“It took him two minutes to rescue me. He took me inside where he attended to the injuries by washing the wounds with alcohol,” she said.

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“After that, they offered to take me to a public hospital. I refused and demanded to be taken to Netcare Medicross Roodepoort and they agreed.”

She said the firm paid her R6 800 medical bill, but the management nor owner visited her.

The self-employed mother of three said her business has not been operating since she was attacked because she can’t walk.

Mother of three can’t walk

“I run a micro-bakery business which needs me to be hands-on daily. These people must pay for all the financial loss and pain that I endured because of their negligence,” she said.

Motseothata said the people residing near the company told her it was not the first time the dogs attacked people on the street.

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A resident, who asked not to be named, alleged the dogs from the same company had previously bitten other people.

A WhatsApp chat shared with The Citizen showed that company director Charl Mason communicated with the woman and apologised about the incident.

Mason told The Citizen he was aware of the attack.

Exact cause or trigger remains unclear

“The dog managed to exit the property unintentionally when someone entered. The exact cause or trigger remains unclear,” he said.

“The injured party was immediately assisted. She was transported to Medicross by our driver for medical attention, where the bite located on her ankle/lower leg was treated with two stitches, and later removed at the same clinic after two days.

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“All medical costs, including medication, X-rays, additional tests, and follow-up appointments, have been covered by us.”