The Brakpan SPCA’s “Tea with a Paw-pose” event at Cosy Corner in Brenthurst on May 30 brought the community together for an afternoon of entertainment, reflection and support for animals in need.

“Wow, Brakpan! What an absolutely magical afternoon we had. The room was packed with love, laughter and incredible compassion for the animals in our care,” said Tamaryn Lombaard, the Brakpan SPCA committee member responsible for public relations.

Throughout the afternoon, there were several entertainers, including Zanduné Steinmann and Vonique Naude, a pair of young dancers from Artklop Kreatief, singer Danie van der Westhuizen and in the final act, Frans Pieterse with a humorous monologue about a spider.

The MC was Leonie Cronjé, who kept the crowd laughing, donating and enjoying themselves. The guest speaker was therapist Nicole Dickson, who gave an impassioned speech about how our love for animals in a society reflects our overall compassion, values and morals.

“We all can remember a specific pet in our lives, not because they were particularly special or our favourite, but because they made an impact on our lives. I remember a kitten called Mao,” she said.

Mao, a cat that was initially feral, was kept safe at Nicole’s office, where she practised psychology. He always went to the most upset person in the room and stayed with them to comfort them.

At first, he would scratch at the therapy room door until he was let in, then make a beeline straight for the client. Eventually, he became the official therapy cat.

“Animals remind us that care isn’t always about fixing the problem, but just showing up and being there. They occupy a special place in the moral world,” Nicole said.

“They’re vulnerable to human power, dependent on human choices and unable to advocate for themselves the way humans can. Do we as a society use that power carefully?” she continued.

“It extends past animals and towards greater society. We often think of the opposite of cruelty being kindness, but really, it’s connection. Cruelty happens when the connection disappears. When living beings become objects to us, and their suffering becomes invisible in our minds,” she explained.

“The work of the SPCA is so profound because they help nurture and protect compassion in communities. It’s not about cuddles and simple things; it’s responding when the situation is difficult, messy, heartbreaking and dangerous.

“They see things no human should ever see every day: neglect, abandonment, cruelty. They carry difficult decisions, absorb a great deal of pain, grief and loss, but continue to show up. That commitment deserves recognition.”

The event was considered a huge success, with around 100kg of dog food donated by Your Communication and JAVA, as well as a surprise donation of R4 000 from Erna-Michelle Grobler.

Additional dog food, blankets and another R6 000 were raised through the efforts of the Smit Family.

“We also want to extend a massive thank you to Saartjie Lotter and her team at Cosy Corner for hosting us and making sure our guests were accommodated,” said Tamaryn.

“Thank you to Danie van der Westhuizen-Musiek for the amazing sound provided and the amazing entertainment, to Leonie for being an absolutely incredible MC, to Nicole, who brought us such an amazing and humbling talk, and to the young kids from Artklop Kreatied for their dance.

“Then, of course, thank you to Frans Pieterse, who closed off the entertainment for the day.”

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