Financial constraints remain – Boksburg SPCA AGM report

Boksburg SPCA chairperson Willie du Plessis said during the virtual Boksburg SPCA AGM on July 28 that although the year posed difficulties due to the effects of the pandemic, they’ve achieved a steady financial record.

However, there were financial pressures as a result of a lack of financial donors in the business community. The society said it has seen a decrease in donations due to business closures and employment loss.

His report was from April 1, 2020, to March 31.

According to du Plessis, the society’s operational income increased by approximately 20%, while expenses increased by 8% compared to 2019/20, showing a turnaround in the right direction to reducing loss to almost a breakeven point.

“There are encouraging signs that we have managed to increase operational income by a substantial percentage while we managed to curb the increase in expenses to meet the society’s goal.”

He said some of their key focus areas during the previous financial term were to receive support from the community, especially from businesses to maintain the positive trajectory of the SPCA’s operational costs.
He said they also ensured the Boksburg SPCA retained its credibility of being a professionally run animal welfare.

Maintenance
Due to the economic challenges, du Plessis said more often they had to use their own funds to maintain the pound facility.

“Our facilities and the service facility are now old, which poses a big burden on us to maintain the grounds and the building to a good state. We secured sufficient funds from the Christmas Cheer funds, which assisted us to replace the adoption kennels.”

He added they’ll have to plan for at least two vehicle replacements during the 2021/22 financial year.

Services
The following statistics show how busy the society is, thus the need for this service is growing at an alarming rate.

Dogs: 611 brought in as strays and 2 014 surrendered, 494 homed, 111 re-claimed and 699 sterilised for underprivileged pet owners.
Cats: 749 brought in as strays and 761 surrendered, 139 homed, 10 re-claimed and 311 sterilised for underprivileged pet owners.

According to du Plessis, these numbers, compared to the previous year reflect a marked increase in the number of animals surrendered to the society, which can be viewed in light of the economic downturn due to the pandemic.

In regards to the veterinary clinic, du Plessis said they’ve seen an influx of animals whose owners are unable to afford at times, due to the prevailing economic challenges.

“We have created a Helping Hand Fund using our monthly receipts from Woolworths My School card and some nominated donations to build this fund. We continuously work on strategies to improve the clinic’s overall operation to enable us to maintain animal welfare services that need to be rendered to the underprivileged communities that can’t afford private veterinarian services.”

The chairperson urged animal lovers to be part of the society’s committee or become volunteers.

Also Read: Boksburg SPCA AGM reveals a marked increase in the number of animals surrendered

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