A teenage boy Sabelo Dube from the village of Lukona located between Nkayi and Nyathi in Matabeleland North got badly hurt by police dogs.
This happened one Wednesday morning when he was running an errand to the local shops.
The police had come to Lukona with dogs because of a gold rush at a nearby mining claim. They were trying to control a crowd at the shops and let the dogs loose. Sabelo couldn’t escape and was attacked by the dogs.
Sabelo’s uncle, Collen Mpofu, said the police were sent by a mine manager named Dumisani, who owns the mine where the gold was found. The police first came to the shops in Lukona before going to the mining site.
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Besides Sabelo, other villagers, including older people, were also bitten by the dogs. One of Sabelo’s relatives, Kholwani Khabo, was hurt even more severely.
Sabelo was first taken to Lukona Clinic but had to be moved to Nyathi Hospital because his injuries were so serious. The family faced problems because the hospital and transport costs were very high. Each injection costs about $20, which they couldn’t afford easily. Because of this, they decided to care for Sabelo at home with help from local medical staff.
