Sandton SPCA needs help to keep their inspectors mobile
With inspector cars nearing 400 000km and breaking down during rescues, the Sandton SPCA is appealing for community support to raise R1.5m to continue with their anti-cruelty work.
When a rescue vehicle’s wheel came off during an active call-out on February 7, inspectors from the Sandton SPCA faced a crisis no animal welfare should have to manage.
A crisis of stranded cats in the back of a broken-down vehicle, and a second emergency dispatch to rescue their own unit.
According to general manager Nick Smith, the incident highlighted a growing operational threat: Ageing vehicles that are no longer reliable enough to serve as the backbone of their anti-cruelty work. “We’re currently in a situation where we’ve got five vehicles, which are getting very, very old and unreliable. These are inspective vehicles, which are used for going to respond to cruelty complaints, conduct home checks for adoptions, and take the inspectors anywhere where there’s animal cruelty.” Smith said, of the five vehicles they have at the SPCA, many have clocked close to 400 000km and are becoming both unsafe and unroadworthy.
Read more: Sandton SPCA appeals for community support to replace ageing inspector vehicles
Standing next to one of the SPCA’s vehicles, inspector manager Xolane Mncube pointed to a loose gear knob, a handbrake in need of careful handling, and ongoing tyre repairs, with the car sitting at 370 000km after nearly 20 years of service. “Our job, as the SPCA, is to go out and help the animals. We are the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.
“Maybe you’re asking yourself, how do we prevent cruelty to animals? We go out when we get reports, and we investigate. We do proactive work. When we go out, we also do outreach programmes, to rescue animals that need help. Obviously, we use the vehicles to do that. Without them we cannot respond to cruelty cases.”
Smith said the Sandton SPCA covers 179 suburbs, from Johannesburg CBD to Lonehill, from Winnie Mandela Drive to the N3 highway. This includes both affluent suburbs and under-resourced communities, such as Alexandra township, where he said the demand for animal welfare services is particularly high.
Currently, the animal welfare has three qualified inspectors, but Smith said plans are underway to increase the number to five by June. “There’s a lot of work for us to do and three inspectors is insufficient. Our five-year plan, which we are now two years into, is to grow that number of inspectors to 8 or 10. With that number of inspectors, and reliable vehicles, we can actually do much better in animal welfare, including education programmes in schools and communities outreaches.”
Also read: Rivonia woman to climb Mount Toubkal for Sandton SPCA
To replace the entire fleet with new vehicles that come with warranties and maintenance guarantees, the Sandton SPCA targets to raise R1.5m. So far, they have raised R217 000 through fundraising initiatives, including Christmas gift wrapping and community donations. “As you know, we are a non-profit organisation, and we depend on community support to keep our doors open. Without your help, we cannot do it. So, please support Sandton SPCA, so that those vehicles keep moving, and we can go out there and help our community and animals in need,” Mncube said.
Smith concluded: “We’re really appealing to anyone that can help us, either with monetary donations or with cheaper vehicles. We’re looking to buy new vehicles, so they come with a warranty and guarantees and so forth, but we’re looking to anybody that can help us in any way towards contributing to those vehicles.”
Details: call Sandton SPCA on 011 444 7730 or email info@sandtonspca.org.za.
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