Man and dog bite farmer
11/08/2008 09:22 - (SA)


Virginia Keppler, Beeld

Pretoria - Johannes Petrus Strydom, who is being accused by several people of ordering his dog to bite them, has apparently also bitten a person himself.

Hennie Steyn, 50, a game farmer from Thabazimbi in Limpopo, claims Strydom bit him on the hand on June 20 2008, and his dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier, bit him on the face and the back of his leg.

Strydom apparently also attacked Steyn's wife Sue, 49, and the dog also got hold of her leg and bit her.

"I nearly bled to death," Steyn told Beeld on Sunday.

"Strydom assaulted us without any provocation after he caught some of my game. He got his dog to maul me and then sped off with the last of the buck that he caught without paying. He assaulted me while the dog bit me.

"When I pushed him (Strydom) away, he bit me on the hand and then his dog bit me."

'Yes, I did nearly beat him to death'

Strydom said he had hit Steyn because he was a racist. "Yes, I did nearly beat him to death," he said on Sunday.

Steyn said during the attack, Strydom's exact words to his dog were: "Sa, vat hom. (Sa, take him)"

He said Strydom wanted to hit his wife on the face, but she tried to block him with her hands.

"He then hit her repeatedly on her hands. She had a terrible bruise on her hand and the dog bit her once on her back leg."

Steyn said after Strydom had assaulted him and his wife, a friend who had caught game with Strydom, took him to task for hitting a woman. "But then he assaulted his friend too." According to Strydom, the man was an employee.

Legal action

Steyn laid charges of theft and assault with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm at Thabazimbi police station.

"I am still awaiting feedback from the police."

Steyn has also sued Strydom for R100 000 for pain and suffering and R118 000 for the antelope he had sped away with.

Steyn's child was not bitten by the dog as was reported in Beeld on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Strydom allegedly set his dog on three petrol attendants at a Pretoria fuel station. The dog bit one man and a second was injured when he tried to run from the dog.

Has Mike Tyson moved to RSA?

A bit humerous in saying the farmer's wife was bitten on her "back leg." Does she have front legs?

Alternate title for story:

"Dog Bites Farmer's Face and Leg, Dog Bites Farmer's Wife on Her 'Back Leg,' Man Bites the Farmer's Hand that Feeds Him, Man Slaps Farmer's Wife on her 'Front Legs,' and All We are Missing for a Catchy Title Here is the Man Bites Dog Part"

I hope they have locked up this South African Mike Tyson by now.

Kathi
Excuse me for asking, and please dont take offense, but...
How is it that you manage to dig up the worst of the worst each time you publish anything about South Africa. Perhaps you could also publish some stories related to the success of some of the efforts by good people to uplift their country. How about Makhasa Tribal game reserve, how aboout the solar power revolution that the country is now experiencing since the eskom trouble. How about the growth of the game farming sector and the increased possibility of the transfrontier park actually becoming a reality some day.
How about the fact that the country despite its troubles has experienced a 180 degree power shift without civil war and bloodshed. Name any country taken by forceful means that can say the same.
No on the whole I would say there has to be at least 1 or two good things happening in our country, and we would appreciate it if you helped your avid readership to see some of those once in a while.
Or maybe we should start publishing stories about Iraq on the board too, or maybe a school shooting incident, these are such tasteful topics after all.
Anyway, I wish you all the best and hope that I do not offend you when I defend my country, you should after all understand this as you come from The home of the free and the land of the brave, a nation of patriots who stand behind their flag with steely determination and a rifle in hand.
Good day
Ian

Vlam,

My apologies if I have offended you or anyone in South Africa. I have been to SA, and enjoyed the country very much.

I just posted an article that was in the 24 News.

Once again, my apologies to you and anyone else that may have been offended by the article.

Hi Kathi
No problem, and sorry if my response came across as being heavy handed. I just get the feeling that your articles often start the ball rolling on a South African Mud Sling fest. While no doubt there is a lot of truth to many of them, the South African press is notorious for cooking up sensational articles based loosely on fact. These together with peoples limited experience of South Africa cab be very damaging if consistently fed to the same audience.
There are many hunters I have been in contact with now who have a completely warped idea of what South Africa is all about and who are as a result denying themsleves some of the best value for money hunting to be had due to fears that spring from some of the more elaborate efforts of our armchair trolls. Just like a good story about a .458 Win hang firing, stories about SA seem to persist.
So in short, you have not offended me, and you do publish some very interesting stuff, but perhaps there is more to the country than meets the eye.
Thanks you for your good natured response and understanding. I look forward to reading more of "the good stuff" you do dig up in the future.
And perhaps meeting next time you are in SA
Best regards
Ian

quote:

My apologies if I have offended you or anyone in South Africa. I have been to SA, and enjoyed the country very much.

I don't think you need to apologize. The boys here are in general big enough and experienced enough to know that what you post are newsworthy and interesting items and don't mean that everything and all people in Africa are that way.

quote:

Johannes Petrus Strydom,

Is this the same guy who used to Cat hunt with dogs in South Africa?