A beast is on the loose!

An unidentified creature, which reportedly has the shape of a dog, is apparently on the loose in the Elim area and has already attacked more than 25 residents.

The creature, which residents believe has evil strength and energy, had attacked and severely injured residents between 23 July and 1 August. People said that when it jumped at a person, it went straight for the throat with a devilish intention to kill. The attacks only took place either in the night or at dawn, when it was dark and quiet.

A resident of Phandhlula section at Chavani village, Ms Florah Matombo (44), described her ordeal and said that she had heard the frantic cries of children in the street and thought one of the voices was her child's. She rushed out and found children scattering in all directions.

“A black, four-legged creature jumped at me and I quickly realised that it was aiming for my throat,” she said. “I fought it off my neck, but it was too strong for me. It severed my fingers and wrist. We continued to fight, though, and I managed to sit on its hip and grabbed it by the throat. Yooo! It got so angry and threw me off.”

Fortunately, a man from the neighbouring yard came to her rescue. The creature attacked the man, however, and scratched his face with its fierce nails. The unidentified creature eventually trotted down the road and disappeared.

Matombo described it as having shining white teeth, with monstrously long canines. Afterwards, she went to the local clinic, where she found many other victims of the animal's attacks. They were all transferred to Elim Hospital. “I am not going to work because of the injuries; my hand is painful,” she said. “And I am still afraid even today. I just think the thing will come back to get me.”

In another incident, the 20-year-old Frazar Baloyi was walking alone in the street at around 19:30 at Chavani village, when the creature attacked. People heard him cry: “Oh, people of my village, I am Frazar – help me! A creature is killing me!” Two men arrived first with weapons. The creature was on top of Frazer and biting his mouth. One of the men managed to hit the creature with a spade, but it got up and charged at them. They ran away.

The creature stopped somewhere down the road, breathing menacingly. “It remained in that spot for about an hour,” said Frazer’s mother, Lavisa Maluleke (55). She added that they had tried calling the 10111 emergency number, but the receiver said that they had reached the emergency medical personnel department. “We tried 112, but it didn't help matters either,” she said. “We wanted the police to come and kill the animal.”

The six-year-old Tshovela Maluleke had a similar clash with the unknown beast. He was playing with his peers on the evening of 24 July. The creature apparently came from nowhere and jumped at him, aiming for his throat. He was quick to shield his face with his arms and ran away as quickly as he could. He managed to escape with only minor injuries to his arm. “I am afraid. I see it in my sleep – it’s a black dog with a white colour on its chest,” he said, sounding really afraid.

On 31 July, at around 04:00, a taxi driver had stopped at a bus stop to collect early commuters. The moment he opened the door, the creature allegedly jumped at him and tore his trousers to pieces. “It left him stark naked, and the man is my relative,” said a resident, who did not want to be named.

Local SPCA animal inspector Mr Lawrence Khodobo said that they had received reports about incidents of people being attacked by a creature that resembled a dog.

“We advised them to contact the police when they spot the creature again,” he said. “In the history of our office here in Makhado, we have never had an experience of this nature where a suspected ‘dog’ would bite and injure more than 14 people with such viciousness. However, we are by no means saying that the thing might not be a dog.”

Waterval police’s spokesperson, Const Cynthia Ndou, said: “This is not the police’s case. We can only act on the SPCA’s directive.”

The spokesperson for the Department of Health, Macks Lesufi, confirmed that several people were treated at Chavani clinic, following incidents of a creature which had attacked them. “Four people were transferred to Elim Hospital for further medical attention,” he said. “We sent out a team of officials to the area concerned to find out what is actually happening.”

Date:10 August 2015

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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