Bluffhill Pitbull Owner Denied Bail

By Judith Nyuke

A Harare man whose dogs fatally mauled a passerby in the Bluffhill suburb last month has been denied bail.

Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa ruled against granting bail to Mike Mapinga, who is facing charges of culpable homicide.

According to the State, Mapinga owns three pit bulls and a Rottweiler, which he allegedly left unmuzzled and unsupervised at his rented residential property.

The prosecution contends that this act of negligence directly led to the tragic death of Samuel Machara a passerby who was attacked after the dogs reportedly scaled a low perimeter wall and charged into the street.

Machara sustained severe injuries and died after the incident sparking outrage among local residents and renewed calls for tighter regulation around the ownership of aggressive dog breeds.