A teenage boy from Sir Lowry’s Pass was hospitalised in a critical condition after being attacked by dogs on a privately-owned farm.

The incident occurred on Wednesday 7 October when 14-year-old Christiano Jansen and a group of friends were playing near a dam on the Broadlands Manor property around 18:00.

Emergency response 

Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services, said emergency crews from Sir Lowry’s Pass Fire Station were dispatched following a call at 18:30.

“The male minor’s condition was critical as he suffered severe bite wounds. The crew rendered medical assistance. The young patient was transported to a nearby medical facility via Metro ambulance just after 19:00. The South African Police Service was requested to the scene,” said Carelse.

While the Somerset West police confirmed there is no record of the incident, they advised that a case be opened at the nearest police station.

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness confirmed that Tygerberg Hospital has admitted a patient matching the description provided.

“The patient is currently receiving the necessary medical treatment. In line with patient confidentiality requirements, we are unable to provide any further details at this stage,” the department said upon enquiry.

Mother’s anguish

The boy’s mother, Emma Jansen (41) said the family does not know exactly what happened. Her sister, who lives closer to the farm than she does, was among the first respondents to the incident because there was a vague suspicion that her child had been hurt.

“Earlier I sent him to the shop, but he just said, ‘I’m coming now’,” she recalled.

Instead of his return, she later received a call informing her that he had been attacked by dogs on a neighbouring farm.

The emotional parent shared that she is traumatised by the incident and that the thought had occurred to her that if he had just gone to the shop, he might not have fallen victim to the vicious attack.

“He is a quiet child who mostly stays indoors. I did not expect him to fall victim to such an horrific incident,” the mother of four said.

Owner’s account

During a visit to the farm, Law Enforcement’s Animal Control Unit was seen leaving the property, after an apparent follow-up inspection confirmed that the two Rottweilers under the age of two were no longer a danger to anyone and were handed over to a kennel by the owners.

Willie van der Westhuizen, owner of Broadlands Manor and the dogs, said he walks the beloved four-legged family members daily on the 36-hectare property, letting them off the leash once away from the stable yard. “I take a tennis ball, and they play. They also love to go in the water and swim in the dam,” he said.

Van der Westhuizen said he was walking the dogs off-leash when he spotted five or six boys at the dam, about 80 to 100 metres away. “They saw me, they turned around, and they started running. I shouted, ‘Do not run. Please don’t run’. At some point, the dogs picked up the movement, saw them running, and started chasing.”

Frantic pursuit

He said he immediately pursued the dogs. “The male dog pinned one of the boys down. I had to run probably over a kilometre to get there. I smacked him over the nose and managed to get him off. The female, Belle, was initially circling before she too pounced. Eventually I got her off as well.

“Now I’m lying down with two dogs, holding them, because they can’t go anywhere. I was in shock. At one point, I thought, I can’t fight this anymore, because they are bloody strong.”

Van der Westhuizen said he caught his breath, got back on his feet and started walking the dogs home. He stressed that he left the scene only to take the dogs home and away from the area – not out of any lack of concern for the boys. One of his sons, who responded to the incident, got Van der Westhuizen along the way, limping and “looking just out of it”.

On the way up the drive while en route to the scene, three of the boys approached him, waving. “I asked them what happened. They said, ‘Our friend, he’s bitten. He’s lying there. He can’t move.”

He called the farm manager, who came over and accompanied the boys back to the site, where community members started gathering and authorities and emergency personnel later arrived.

‘Unfortunate incident’

Van der Westhuizen said the boy was first taken to Helderberg Hospital, where he was allegedly left to wait on a stretcher with no doctor available, before being transported to Mediclinic Vergelegen and eventually transferred to Tygerberg Hospital, where his parents remain by his bedside. Van der Westhuizen implored that the boy be taken to Mediclinic Vergelegen and offered to cover the ambulance costs to Tygerberg Hospital, which medical professionals at the Somerset West private hospital had recommended for the best possible care. “Before they picked him up, I stood there with the parents around his bed, we held hands, and we prayed.”

He said he was troubled by rumours circulating in the community that he had instigated the attack, and expressed feeling terrible about what had happened. “I am truly sorry for what has happened. This is just a very unfortunate incident.”