Mavusi Qola with his pet owl, Bob.
22 January 2019
Dogs are popular in Mfuleni township in Cape Town, but at least one resident has befriended more unusual pets. Mavusi Qola is a traditional healer, with a reputation in the community for being friendly and reasonable. He looks after a variety of animals, including a dog, a tortoise, an owl and a rooster.
Mavusi Qola with his pet tortoise, who he claims is 100 years old. (The tortoise has no name.)
Sange Thulo, 13, plays with his dog in the early hours of Saturday morning. While many of the township dogs are strays, lots of boys keep dogs as pets.
Khayone Maneli plays with his ten-week old puppy, Bruno.
Cats are less popular than dogs, but Masixole Gqatsiwe says he likes his four-month old kitten. “It keeps the mice away.”
Two dogs scan the outside world from the safety of their home in Mfuleni.