‘I’d rather die than leave him’: fight to reunite Malawian man with beloved dog

Stephen Singhini with Fireman, the dog he hopes to be reunited with in Malawi after being forced to leave South Africa.

For six years, Fireman the Africanis has been more than just a pet. For Stephen Singhini, the dog has been his family, his companion and his source of comfort while living thousands of kilometres away from his wife and three children in Malawi.

Now, as rising tensions force some foreign nationals to leave Sea Vista in the Eastern Cape, volunteers from St Francis Animal Rescue are working to reunite Singhini with the dog he refused to abandon.

Susan Rae Fox, chairperson of St Francis Animal Rescue, told IOL the organisation first met Singhini six years ago when he arrived with a young Africanis puppy needing basic care.

“Volunteers from St Francis Animal Rescue, first met Stephen Black Lion Singhini, six years ago, when he brought his Africanis pup to us to be vaccinated, dewormed and treated for fleas and ticks. Like many foreign nationals working in South Africa, Stephen's family, a wife and three children, remained at home in Malawi where the children were educated.”