A horrific and heart-wrenching accident left almost 20 000 day-old chicks caught up in a tragic scene between Carolina and Barberton.

The Witbank SPCA, together with the Bethal, Middelburg, Nelspruit and White River SPCAs, were called to assist at the scene on November 2 alongside State Veterinary Services and Animal Health Technicians. Sadly, most of the chicks had to be culled.

“Many had become so desperately hungry that they had resorted to cannibalism, leaving officers with no option but to end their suffering as quickly as possible,” said Carika van Rooyen, manager of the Witbank SPCA.

Amid the chaos of damaged crates and lost lives, the tragedy saw the teams work shoulder to shoulder.

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“There were no boundaries, no competition and no questions about responsibility – simply dedicated people working together because animal welfare matters,” Van Rooyen said.

Trainee inspector Hettie le Roux described the emotional toll on the responding teams.

“Arriving at the scene and being confronted with the extent of the accident was heartbreaking. Seeing thousands of chicks – so many crushed, injured, or dead – was very difficult to process. Culling the surviving chicks was emotionally draining. Although we followed instructions and did everything in our power to ensure that the process was carried out as humanely as possible, it didn’t make the experience any less distressing,” Le Roux said.

She said standing there for hours, knowing what needed to be done, was exceptionally difficult.

“Putting our emotions aside and carrying out a task went against everything in us that wants to protect and save an animal,” Le Roux said. She added that the noise from the accident scene continues to haunt her: “It was the sound – thousands of tiny voices, constantly chirping, struggling beneath the weight of others, desperately trying to get free and knowing that we couldn’t save them.”

Field officer Nic Mahlangu echoed the sadness felt by the team.

“It was a tragedy, but we had to do what we had to do. We would have loved to remove the chicks, bring them home and try to find homes for them. I would have loved to save some of them. It was painful; you had to put your emotions aside,” Mahlangu said.

Kennel hands Goodwill Masemola and Edward Mahlaba were also deeply moved by the tragedy.

“What is done is done,” they said.

The driver of the truck was admitted to hospital. 

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— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) November 5, 2026

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