Man arrested for allegedly hacking donkeys

Temba police spokesperson Constable Herman Moremi said residents who witnessed the senseless act alerted the police, Rekord North reported.

The incident occurred on Monday morning in Maubane Section, near Temba.

“Police, accompanied by officials from the SPCA, immediately rushed to the cruel attacker’s home, but he was not there. However, they were led to an address where they arrested him,” said Moremi.

The man allegedly attacked the donkeys after they had entered his yard and destroyed the plants.

Residents said they were shocked by the senseless violence. “It was abhorrent that someone could do this to an innocent animal,” said one resident.

“We have arrested the offender. He is being kept in police custody pending a forensic examination. He is expected to appear in court soon,” said Moremi.

The donkeys’ owner, Johannes Ngobeni, 23, said: “I am heartbroken because the donkeys are my source of income. I use them to deliver sand to customers. Now I am only left with two donkeys which cannot pull the cart alone. The coming months will be months of starving for my family of seven members, who relied on the money generated by the four donkeys.”

SPCA inspector Mishack Matlou confirmed a case of cruelty to animals has been opened.

“Upon our arrival at the scene, the donkeys were unable to get up and walk after they were hacked. Their back leg muscles were cut off with a panga. The perpetrator was not at home, but his cooperative mother gave directions to where her son went. We found him busy helping to slaughter a cow for a wedding ceremony when we arrested him,” said Matlou.

The SPCA took the donkeys in their care for medical treatment.

This after a man filmed beating a goat to death in Mpumalanga was arrested and charged with animal cruelty last year.

Identified as Sipho Makamu, 26, the man appeared in the Malelane Magistrates’ Court in October last year following his arrest at his home in Mzinti.

Shocking video footage uploaded on YouTube showed Makamu hitting and slapping a goat. Because of the extreme graphic content of this video, it was removed from YouTube.

– Caxton News Service