HARARE-(MaraviPost)-An eight-month-old girl died in Harare on Thursday after her father’s rottweiler ‘dog’ mauled her while she was being held by her mother.
Two other people were seriously injured in the same attack in Harare’s Glen View 7 suburb.
The baby, Tayana Nyandoro, was bitten on the head and died at the scene in the Riverside area.
Her mother, Rosemary Madzinga, 43, was nursing the baby at home when she called a former housemaid, Varaidzo Gumboreshumba, 26, who was passing by into the yard.
The family dog attacked Gumboreshumba as soon as she entered. Neighbours came to see what was happening, and a two-year-old boy, Kupakwashe Gambo, was among those who gathered.
The dog then turned on the child.
Both Gumboreshumba and Kupakwashe sustained severe head injuries and were taken to Sally Mugabe Hospital, where they are said to be in a serious condition. After attacking them, the dog bit Tayana while she was in her mother’s arms and she died immediately.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the arrest of the baby’s father, John Nyandoro, 48, who is facing a culpable homicide charge.
“The now deceased was bitten on the head and died on the spot,” Chakanza told H Metro. Police records show the dog had been vaccinated against rabies on May 13, with the vaccination valid for one year. The injured were referred to Sally Mugabe Hospital for treatment.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspectors attended the scene and recommended the dog be put down.
The Glen View attack is the latest in several serious dog maulings reported in Zimbabwe this year.
On August 22, a 39-year-old man was found dead at an open ground near Plot 104 in Sabonabona, Eiffel Flats, Kadoma, with multiple dog bite wounds. National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the man’s clothes were torn and urged owners to secure their dogs and comply with local authority by-laws.
In June 2025, Samuel Machera, 39, was killed in Harare’s Bluff Hill area by pit bulls belonging to Mike Mupinga. Mupinga was arrested and charged with culpable homicide. Neighbours had previously complained about the dogs roaming at night. Relatives said Machera was last seen going outside before his body was found the next morning.
In February, two-year-old Tanaka Dube died in Bulawayo’s Douglasdale suburb after being attacked by four Boerboel dogs that escaped from a family yard.
Health authorities have also noted a rise in dog bites. Surveillance figures from January recorded 619 bites nationally in one week.
For the Nyandoro family, the attack happened within minutes. A mother nursing her baby, a former worker visiting the home, and neighbours who came to help were all caught up in it.
Tayana is the youngest known victim in the recent series of fatal attacks, while Gumboreshumba and Kupakwashe are in hospital.
Police say investigations into the Glen View case are continuing.
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