Publications
- Zimkitha Brenda Gaga was mauled to death by three pit bulls in Port Alfred.
- Gaga worked as the head chef and manager at Judy's Kitchen in the coastal town.
- Her boss, Judy Lottering, described her as a brilliant manager who was loved dearly.
The horrific death of Zimkitha Brenda Gaga, whose battered body was found on the side of a road, has left her colleagues in shock and sadness.
The 37-year-old mother sustained severe injuries to her face and upper body after she was mauled to death by three pit bulls on Alfred Road in the small coastal town of Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape.
Gaga was attacked on Sunday morning while she was on her way to work at Judy’s Kitchen, where she was the head chef.“When we got the call, we were very shocked. My team was very traumatised ... [we were all] crying.
It was a terrible day," Judy Lottering, the restaurant owner told News24. She said they became worried when Gaga never showed up for work.
“We tried to find out where she was because she never missed work. The way she died was awful. No one should die this way."
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Lottering said she had known Gaga, who has three children aged 16, 12 and an 8-month-old baby, since she was in her early 20s.“The people who have these dogs should be brought to book,” Lottering said. Police opened an inquest docket for investigation following the incident.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the owner of the dogs lived in the vicinity."It is alleged that the dogs managed to escape from the secured property by damaging the perimeter fencing," said Naidu. She said the dogs had since been taken away by the SPCA.
Gaga’s family asked for privacy during this time.
Gaga obtained her degree in hospitality management from Stenden South Africa University in Port Alfred.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the tragic passing of one of our graduates, Brenda Gaga," the institution said in a statement. “Condolences to her children and family. May her dear soul rest in peace.”
A spate of pit bull maulings have been reported across the country in recent weeks.
Last week, a pit bull killed a 15-month-old toddler at Gonubie Farm in East London while 3-year-old Keketso Innocent Saule from the Free State was mauled to death by two pit bulls.
