Central SA
Potchefstroom pit bull case struck off the roll four years later─── ZENANDE MPAME 15:45 Wed, 18 Mar 2026
Almost four years later, the case against a Potchefstroom couple whose three pit bulls attacked their domestic worker has been struck off the roll.
The state and the couple’s attorney are still awaiting the National Director of Public Prosecutions’ (NDPP) decision to withdraw the case. It was therefore struck off the roll on Monday (16/3) in the Potchefstroom Regional Court.
A case struck off the roll means a court has temporarily removed a case from its active schedule due to procedural issues, such as missing documents, lack of preparation, or non-appearance. It’s not a final acquittal or a dismissal on the merits; it is usually temporary, allowing the state to re-enroll the case once issues are resolved, according to Neumann van Rooyen attorneys.
The case was adjourned in January after several postponements pending a decision by the NDPP. The trial was scheduled to start in November 2023, but it kept on being postponed for various reasons, such as the transfer of the case, new prosecutors being assigned, another charge being added, and the court recording machine not working.
The case dates back to 2022, when Marno and Chandré Mostert’s domestic worker, Dipuo Kokolosi, was allegedly attacked by three of their pit bulls while she was alone in the house washing dishes.
A neighbour heard her screams and went to investigate. Upon his arrival, he saw the three dogs on her and fired a warning shot. She underwent surgery in January 2024 to cosmetically repair her nose.
Parts of her thighs, nose, lip, ears, legs, and hands were torn off by the dogs. The case was delayed for several reasons, and one of them included an additional charge to the couple after it came out that the dogs had previously bitten Kokolosi.
At the previous court appearance, the couple’s attorney, Malan Schutte, said the case was costly for his clients. “This has been very costly for them as they have appeared in court about 30 times already, as they travelled from Klerksdorp for every appearance.” The incident happened while they were still living in Potchefstroom.
The couple filed a request to have the case against them dropped two years ago because they felt that the delays were detrimental to them and that a guilty verdict had little chance of success.
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