Spectator breaks SPCA’s camera at pitbull show at local school
The show took place in Kempton Park in August last year
A Roodepoort man who damaged the camera of an SPCA inspector at a pitbull show at a Kempton Park primary school in August last year, was convicted of malicious damage to property in Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court.
Ruan Verhoef was sentenced to a fine of R4 000, suspended for five years, with an order to pay the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) R800. He was also declared unfit to own a firearm.
The sentence was welcomed by the NSPCA.
Nadia Hansa, an inspector at the special investigations unit of the SPCA, attended the show to do an inspection.
Verhoef became aggressive towards Hansa. After a struggle, Verhoef grabbed Hansa’s camera, removed the memory card, destroyed it and threw the camera back at her.
Charges were laid against Verhoef for assault, malicious damage to property and obstruction but the court ruled Verhoef could not be convicted on three charges for the same crime.
At the time of the incident Hansa was not taking any pictures, but during the day she had used the camera to document concerns for long-term monitoring of the working events and the dogs competing in them.
Hansa said the show was organised by the United Pitbull Association of South Africa (UPA).
Speaking to EXPRESS after the court case, Hansa said there were concerns at the show on the day.
“Pitbull shows are not like other dog shows in that there are three extreme working events including long hang where the dogs are suspended by their teeth from a piece of conveyor belting, often for hours at a time.
“High jump means the dogs are made to jump ever increasing heights to reach a toy or bait item that is suspended above them. They can reach about 2.5m.
“Weight pull means dogs are harnessed individually to a cart and take turns to pull ever increasing weights; the record being up to nine tonnes.
“Because of the extreme nature of these events and the training methods applied by handlers, the NSPCA monitors the shows closely. On the day there were a number of concerns, including dogs entered for working events with dental conditions, handlers encouraging their dogs to show aggression and a dog entering the competition without having been presented at the health check.”
Robert Nelson, president of the UPA, confirmed Verhoef was not a member of the association at the time of the incident. He was attending the dog show as a spectator.
“We encourage and welcome members of the public to attend our shows but do not allow any bad behaviour. We do not condone his behaviour and he was immediately banned for life from attending any UPA event or show hosted by us after the incident,” Nelson said in a statement on Monday.
“We are strongly opposed to any form of animal abuse. Since we started our organisation in 2015, we have worked closely with the NSPCA to address any welfare or health concerns to improve the standards for all competing dogs. We ensure all dogs are in top physical condition, as the dogs’ well-being is our top concern.
“We have a mandatory health screening before any dog is allowed to compete on the day. This includes checking teeth for any dental concerns and any other visible signs of injury or discomfort. Any dog which presents with health concerns is not allowed to compete on the day and needs to be taken to a veterinarian for a check-up before they are allowed to compete in future events,” Nelson added.
“Our committee and show members recently attended a seminar presented by one of the leading specialists in animal dental care. We have also contacted a qualified animal behaviourist to arrange a similar seminar on dog behaviour and to assist us with a force free training programme.”
