The 48-year-old domestic worker from Bloemhof in the North West, who was badly disfigured after she was attacked allegedly by her employer’s pitbulls, can now speak easier after undergoing reconstructive surgery last month.
Dipuo Kokolosi was attacked by three pitbulls in January and her ear, nose and part of her lips were torn off in the vicious mauling.
This was allegedly not the first time the dogs had attacked her, Kokolosi told Newsnote. On the two occasions she was beaten, in November and December 2021, her employer allegedly simply treated her wounds and told her not to go to the police.
This time around, when the animals wouldn’t let go, it was someone else who saved her life by shooting them as they tore into her flesh.
As she prepares to undergo her third surgery at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, Kokolosi is angered by an overzealous newspaper report that her employer is assisting her financially.
According to Kokolosi the author of the story allegedly misrepresented herself in hospital and posed as one of her relatives to gain access to her pictures and information. The journalist then wrote an incorrect story and used an incorrect picture to depict Kokolosi before the attack.
“They (employers) owe me my January salary. They promised to call me after the incident but I have never heard from them ever since I was mauled by their dogs.
“The journalist who wrote the story you mentioned, followed me to the hospital, misrepresented facts. She even used my daughter’s picture and claimed it was mine before I was attacked. The journalist also lied to the nurses in hospital saying she is my relative just to gain entry.
“Yes they took pictures of me but I did not understand why or where they were taking them, I was in hospital. I am hurt because they are gambling with my illness,” she said.
Kokolosi, who is a mother and a grandmother of two can now speak for a longer period after the surgery in February and this makes her smile a bit. She is optimistic about her future even though the wounds have not fully healed. “The pain is still there, and the incision frequently smells, but my focus is on my recovery”.
“The doctors are doing their best to fix my face. I am grateful. It will not end there, the doctors told me that after reconstructing my face, they will also work on my legs,” she said.
Her legal representative Nape Masipa said the NPA was dragging its feet in releasing Kokolosi’s docket and supporting documents. “I am going to sue them,” he threatened
However, the North West NPA’s spokesperson Henry Manothame, says he will look into the matter and determine why there was a hold up.
