Online Reporter
Nokuthula Dube
Check-point
VICIOUS dog attacks are a grim and recurring tragedy in the country, claiming lives almost every year.
Over the past five years, the nation has recorded numerous such incidents, with a number resulting in fatalities.
Check Point has scoured media reports from the last five years, highlighting a disturbing trend of fatal dog attacks on people across the country.
These attacks have led to the death of nearly 10 people, with some dog owners being arrested and fined.
It’s important to note that due to geographical locations, particularly in rural areas and farms, some cases likely go unreported.
Here are some of the major vicious dog attacks recorded in Zimbabwe over the past five years.
2020
In 2020, Charles David (51) was fatally attacked by his employer’s Pit bulls. Reports indicate that David had opened the kennel to feed the pit bull and its two puppies.
When the dogs began fighting, he tried to separate them. The dogs stopped fighting each other only to turn on him.
David sustained multiple injuries and passed away three days later at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
At the time, police opened investigations and there are no details on how the case was concluded.
2022
In May 2022, John Gavhera (61) was fatally mauled by his own three Boerboel cross-breed dogs at his home in Selbourne Park, Bulawayo.
The dogs mistook their owner for an intruder when he jumped over the gate to retrieve his toolbox. Police responded after 40 minutes, and Gavhera was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to severe injuries.
In August of the same year, in Matsheumhlope, Bulawayo, a six-year-old girl was mauled to death by her landlord’s two Boerboels.
The incident occurred as she was on her way to the main house to check if there was electricity. Her parents, who were renting a cottage on the property, sent her to investigate a power cut.
Minutes later, the landlord discovered the girl being bitten by the dogs. She could not survive the injuries and passed away.
On October 5, 2022, a seven-year-old boy in Norton was attacked and mauled to death by a Boerboel while running an errand for his grandmother. The boy had been sent to fetch water next door.
Upon entering the gate, the dogs perceived him as an intruder and attacked, killing him. After some time, the grandmother grew concerned when the boy didn’t return. She followed and found the dogs licking and biting her grandson.
She tried to chase the dogs away. In this particular case, the owner was not charged, as the court ruled that the dogs did not intentionally attack him as they saw him as the intruder.
In a similar incident in October, a six-year-old girl in Goromonzi was mauled to death by two dogs while playing with her cousins during a visit to her uncle’s home.
This incident involved Boerboel dogs which attacked the girl while she was playing with relatives on October 13, 2022 at Dongo village, Goromonzi.
The owner, Justice Nyamutsamba (40) was charged with culpable homicide.
2023
On March 23, 2023, a 68-year-old security guard Takawira Gift Muzvidziwa was fatally attacked by four Pit bulls at a business premise in Waterfalls along Sherwood Crescent.
According to reports, Muzvidziwa, who was employed as a security guard at the company, was found with serious injuries.
It was allegedly said the dogs belonged to the company owner. The victim was taken to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, but he died shortly after admission.
Police followed up on the case after confirming the dog attack. No arrests were made as the investigations were still ongoing.
On March 25, 2023, a nine-year-old girl from Whitecliff in Harare, was attacked and mauled to death by a Pit bull.
In a statement, the police said the minor died on admission at Parirenyatwa Hospital after the attack.
2024
In January 2024, Roddie Mannie of Sunningdale, Harare, was tragically mauled to death by his own Pit bulls at home.
Neighbours attempted to intervene, but were unable to stop the dogs which continued to bite their owner until he died.
2025
Most recently, on June 1, 2025, Samuel Machara (39), was fatally mauled by Pit bulls in New Bluffhill, Harare.
This incident led to the arrest of the dogs’ owner, Mike Mupinga (40), on charges of culpable homicide.
Mupinga’s dogs had reportedly been a long-standing menace to the community, frequently roaming freely through gaps in his property’s boundary wall and terrorising residents for years.
Neighbours reported previous incidents, including attacks on domestic workers, children being chased, and the killing of local pets and livestock, yet no action had been taken prior to this fatal attack.
Mupinga was arrested and charged with culpable homicide.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), on average Zimbabwe records between 20 000 and 26 000 dog bites a year, highlighting the broader issue of canine-related incidents in the country.
A total of 13 040 dog bite cases have so far been recorded between January and June this year, according to a Weekly Disease Surveillance report.
The ministry said out of this cumulative figure, no deaths were reported.
This alarming trend underscores the critical need for responsible pet ownership, stricter enforcement of existing animal control laws, and public awareness campaigns on dog safety.
Analysts say Zimbabwe does not have a single unified “Dog Act” but has various laws and by-laws that touch on aspects ranging from animal welfare and disease control to criminal liability and public safety.
Dog owners can be charged for violating laws that include- the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act [Chapter 19:09, the Animal Health Act [Chapter 19:01], the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] and the municipal by-laws in major towns and cities.
“Each of these pieces of legislation contributes a specific layer of regulation, but there is no comprehensive framework dealing specifically and adequately with the challenges posed by keeping aggressive or potentially dangerous dogs in residential or public areas,” wrote Mlondolozi Ndlovu an analyst in an online article titled: ‘A brief overview of the regulation of dogs in Zimbabwe’.
He said under Section 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, dog owners are legally obligated to prevent cruelty, suffering, neglect, or terror being caused to an animal.
The law imposes a duty on every owner to exercise “reasonable care and supervision” over their animals. Importantly, “an owner can be prosecuted not only for acts of cruelty but also for omissions, such as failing to secure a dog properly, that result in harm.”
All dogs, especially aggressive breeds such as Pit bulls, Boerboels, and Rottweilers, should be subject to a compulsory licensing and microchipping system. Owners must register their dogs with municipal authorities and renew the licence annually. This would improve traceability and make it easier to hold owners accountable.
Owners of aggressive breeds should be required to carry third-party liability insurance to cover injury or death caused by their dogs. This protects both the victims and the financial stability of owners.
Analysts say Zimbabwe needs to enact breed-specific legislation on pit bull-type dogs and other vicious dogs.
Others say there must be outright bans to the breeds including strict conditions on ownership.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has expressed concern over the rising number of dog bites of which a big proportion of these are of unvaccinated dogs.
“Of note is the population of dogs, which has increased. The number of dogs has risen in all towns, and we see more dogs roaming the streets in complete disregard of standing city and municipal by-laws,” said Dr Isaac Phiri, the acting director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care was quoted in the media.
According to the World Health Organisation, rabies causes an estimated 59 000 human deaths annually across more than 150 countries, with 95% of these cases occurring in Africa and Asia.
Due to under-reporting and limited surveillance systems, this number is believed to be underestimated. Rural and impoverished populations bear the brunt of the disease, with nearly half of the cases involving children under 15 years of age.
dyton mupawaenda