POLOKWANE – A Polokwane woman is set to face charges of ill treatment of animals and neglect after she was caught on CCTV dumping five puppies into the yard of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Flora Park.

In the video, the woman is seen walking up to the fence of the church before returning to her vehicle.

She then emerges with three puppies in hand and places them in the yard through the fence before returning with two more puppies.

A child is also seen in the video assisting the woman.

The woman is said to have told a gardener passing by that she had made an arrangement with the church to leave the puppies there for a while.

The manager of the Polokwane SPCA Selma Landman said they are aware of the incident and that the woman has been identified.

“I have had several unsuccessful attempts to contact the woman and when we visited her home, we were told she no longer lives there,” she told the Polokwane Observer.

Landman said a case will be opened with the Polokwane SAPS and should the case end up in court, the woman will have a criminal record against her name and will be punished as the magistrate sees fit.

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Meanwhile, Pastor Corrie Venter from the Seventh Day Adventist Church told the Observer that there was no arrangement made between them and the woman in question.

“We did not give any permission for her to leave the puppies on our premises. She told the gardener she will come back to fetch them, but she never did,” he said.

Venter said some of the puppies have already been taken into loving homes while the others were taken to the SPCA for care.

Attempts were made to contact the woman, who is known to the Observer, but were unsuccessful.