LEVUBU – A farm worker was mauled by dogs when she, together with four co-workers, reported for work at Levubu on Monday morning.

Ms Jeanette Mpfureleni Mariba (25), from Tshakhuma, says she was reporting for work at "Muime's farm," where they were going to harvest flowers for her boss, Jan Brown, who is hiring Muime's farm.

Mariba said that she saw three dogs lying next to the flowers when they alighted from the van. "When we alighted, the dogs went away, the two came back and started chasing us. I then fell down in the flowers where the one dog started attacking me. I then grabbed the other dog by its collar until my male colleagues attacked the dogs with sticks and stones until they left me," said Mariba.

Her boss, Mr Brown, was informed and he took her to a local doctor.

Mariba alleges that she tried to open a case against the farm-owner, Muime, but a certain police officer "Mr Molondo" from the Levubu police station said she should not open a case as her boss, Mr Brown, had said he would pay her a monthly salary of R250 for the next four months.

"The police officer said I must not open a case as I might lose my job and the money promised by my boss. I could not insist on opening the case, as I was too dizzy. I still want to open the case because I was seriously injured. I do not even intend to go back to the farm and I will never work on the farms again," said Mariba.

Police spokesperson, Captain Ailwei Mushavhanamadi, said that he was not aware of the incident. However, Mushavhanamadi said, "it is against our policy as police to deny a person opening a case. That officer should have been charged with defeating the ends of justice. Even a police officer can be charged for that."

Meanwhile, Mariba's husband, Bethuel, said that he was not happy that his wife's employer never bothered to come and inform the family about the incident until now, at the time of going to press.

Mariba was admitted to Tshilidzini Hospital on Monday, the same day of the incident, where she was treated for wounds on her hands and back.