Latest news with #NSPCA
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Surviving to thriving: SPCA shares heartwarming update on Bobby
The SPCA has shared a heartwarming update on Bobby, a dog rescued after it was spotted in a viral TikTok video earlier this month. Images of the emaciated dog – who had been forced to eat plastic to survive – left many South Africans enraged and calling for action. Johannesburg content creator Sasha Tshiamo and the dog's owners are now facing charges of animal cruelty. Earlier this month, a TikTok video featuring Sasha Tshiamo dancing was posted on the X platform. The video quickly went viral because of an emaciated dog in the background. The animal's ribcage was clearly visible, and it appeared lethargic. Following a nationwide call, the SPCA stepped in, removing the dog – affectionately nicknamed 'Bobby' – from her shocking living conditions. The animal activists revealed that both the dog's owner – who willingly surrendered the animal – and the influencer were now facing animal cruelty charges. In a social media post, the SPCA shared an update about Bobby, who appeared to be thriving under their care. In a video clip, brave Bobby is seen wearing a winter jersey as she frolics in a garden and happily poses for pictures. The heartwarming caption read: 'One sad video, one brave dog, one second chance. 'Bobby's story didn't end in the background – it's only just begun! From a shadow of herself to a brave and beautiful girl. It turns out that all Bobby needed was a little love and some treats.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by NSPCA (@ According to the SPCA, Bobby will soon be up for adoption. The SPCA has repeatedly warned the public that animal abusers can be criminally charged under the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962. The act – which was established to prevent the cruelty of animals – stipulates that those found guilty can face a fine or imprisonment. The SPCA rescued a starving dog that captured the hearts of South Africans. Content creator Sasha Tshiamo is now facing animal cruelty charges over the viral video. Images via X: @nspca_sa Offenders could also face a denial of ownership – preventing them from owning animals – as well as a criminal conviction. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
8 hours ago
- IOL News
NSPCA takes action against Daybreak Farms over horrific mass animal welfare violations
NSPCA has laid criminal charges over 'million-bird massacre' at Daybreak Farms. Image: File The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has laid criminal charges against the board of directors of Daybreak Farms, following what it has called one of South Africa's worst recorded mass animal welfare disasters, with over a million chickens dead or dying under alleged inhumane and unlawful conditions. The NSPCA confirmed on Thursday it had filed a criminal docket with police, accusing the poultry producer's leadership of gross negligence, systemic mismanagement, and multiple violations of the Animal Protection Act. In a damning statement, the organisation said its inspectors uncovered 'overwhelming evidence' of a total collapse in animal care across multiple Daybreak facilities. Chickens were allegedly found starving, suffering from untreated injuries, and in some cases, resorting to cannibalism due to extreme overcrowding and prolonged neglect. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'The law compels us to value every single animal individually,' said Senior Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy, manager of the NSPCA's Farm Animal Protection Unit. 'To witness the suffering of one animal multiplied by a million is not just a disaster, it's a grave and morally reprehensible failure.' Site visits by the NSPCA were described as harrowing. Inspectors reported scenes of mass death, with birds dying slow, painful deaths, others lying with gaping wounds, and many unable to move. The organisation has described the situation as a 'massacre'. The criminal complaint follows a recent Gauteng High Court ruling that made final an urgent interim order against Daybreak Farms. The court found that the company's leadership had 'failed in their legal duty of care' and cited 'financial mismanagement of the available funds,' which endangered the lives of the animals in their possession. 'The urgency arose from Daybreak's failure to care for the chickens in their possession,' the ruling stated. The final court order compels Daybreak to stop all inhumane culling, provide adequate feed and veterinary care, halt new chick placements unless the NSPCA deems it safe, and grant full access to its facilities for compliance monitoring. The company was also ordered to pay the NSPCA's legal costs. However, efforts to enforce the court's directives have been complicated by a new development. On May 20, 2025, Daybreak voluntarily entered business rescue proceedings, a move the NSPCA fears could obstruct both enforcement and the recovery of more than R580,000 it spent on emergency operations. 'This is not only a legal and ethical failure, but also a financial one,' said the NSPCA. 'Despite a High Court ruling in our favour, our ability to recover costs has been compromised by Daybreak's sudden entry into business rescue.' In response, Daybreak Foods issued a media statement confirming the appointment of veteran restructuring specialist Tebogo Maoto as its Senior Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP). Maoto, formally appointed on May 22, has been tasked with stabilising operations and developing a turnaround strategy. Daybreak's interim board chairperson, Dr Charlotte Nkuna, said: 'We welcome the appointment of the BRP as part of a collective effort, together with the Public Investment Corporation, to rescue the company and save approximately 2,800 jobs.' Under Section 133 of the Companies Act, Daybreak now benefits from a temporary legal moratorium that protects it from enforcement actions, while the BRP and board prepare a rescue plan addressing its financial crisis. The NSPCA, which depends on public donations and limited funding, is now appealing for urgent financial support to continue its monitoring and legal efforts. Operational costs continue to mount as inspectors remain on-site to oversee animal welfare and ensure compliance with the court's directives. 'We urgently appeal to the public, the private sector, and compassionate individuals to assist us in holding Daybreak accountable and in preventing further suffering,' the organisation said. Daybreak, once considered one of the country's leading poultry producers, has yet to respond publicly to the NSPCA's criminal allegations.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Legal battle erupts over control and conduct of NSPCA
Two local SPCA societies are taking the national body to court with a list of serious allegations. The NSPCA says it's about personal grievances and not animal welfare. A major legal storm is brewing in South Africa's animal welfare sector as multiple local branches of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) take the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) and its board to court, alleging mismanagement, bullying and a toxic culture of centralised control that is crippling grassroots operations. Led by Marius Dreyer, chairperson of the Bethlehem SPCA, several applicants have filed an amended notice of motion in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria under Rule 53 of the Uniform Rules of Court. The applicants include directors and management committee members from both the Bethlehem and Tshwane SPCAs. They are asking the court to order sweeping investigations into the conduct of the NSPCA leadership and to suspend several high-profile board members pending the outcome of the probes. At the heart of the dispute is a deepening rift between local SPCA societies and the national body mandated to support them. According to the applicants, the NSPCA board has been using its constitutional powers to shut down, victimise or take over local branches without proper consultation and has levied serious disciplinary accusations without procedural fairness. The applicants claim that the NSPCA has strayed from its constitutional mission and is now acting more like a centralised authority, using audits and internal rules to oust dissenting leaders and possibly absorb society assets. Societies in Tshwane, Highveld Ridge SPCA, Queenstown (Komani) and seven other towns are cited as examples where takeovers or closures occurred under controversial circumstances. 'Instead of supporting societies on the ground, the national body appears more interested in NSPCA building and silencing criticism,' said a legal representative for the applicants. 'The welfare of animals has become secondary to internal power struggles.' The motion calls for an independent forensic investigation – led by a law firm or senior counsel – into the NSPCA's actions and the role of board members Marcelle Meredith, Annette Rademeyer and Hester Kotze. The applicants also ask the Minister of Agriculture to immediately appoint an interim board to take over NSPCA governance while investigations are under way. Personal suspensions In a dramatic move, the applicants are also requesting the provisional suspension of key NSPCA board members from all management and committee roles across the country. They seek a court order to bar these individuals from accessing NSPCA offices, contacting staff or using organisational resources until the investigation concludes. This includes demands that laptops, vehicles and email access be returned or revoked. 'It's a highly unusual step, but one we believe necessary given the extent of the alleged misconduct,' said a source close to the applicants. 'There is a pattern of retaliation against whistle-blowers and local directors who resist NSPCA overreach.' The dispute is also deeply personal. One of the central grievances stems from a series of findings issued by the NSPCA against the Bethlehem SPCA and its leadership, including statements that animals 'suffered under their watch'. These findings have had reputational consequences for local SPCA chairperson Corlene van der Merwe, who was removed from her post by the NSPCA following a disciplinary outcome letter in October 2024. The applicants are challenging those decisions in court, saying they were based on incomplete investigations, lacked procedural fairness and were used as a pretext to remove uncooperative local leaders. They want all such findings reviewed and set aside. 'The damage to our reputations and to community trust has been immense,' said Van der Merwe 'We have dedicated our lives to this cause, and now we are being painted as villains without a fair hearing.' Financial transparency under scrutiny The motion also highlights serious financial concerns. One of the key demands is for the NSPCA to refund close to R900,000 in compulsory levies, paid by the Tshwane SPCA to the national council. The applicants allege that the NSPCA is hoarding funds meant for local animal welfare work. They also seek a declaration that the NSPCA was responsible for the financial administration and management of the Tshwane SPCA between June 2024 and January 2025 – including records of medicine movement, property management and accounting. 'Funds meant for animals in Tshwane and other societies are sitting in national accounts, inaccessible,' said Jeanine Niemann, a co-applicant. 'We are calling this what it is – financial control dressed up as governance.' In what could have far-reaching implications, the case also challenges several sections of the NSPCA constitution, the standard SPCA society constitution, and even aspects of the SPCA Act itself. The applicants argue that parts of these frameworks are unconstitutional or invalid, particularly clauses relating to member societies' voting rights, governance authority, transfer of societies' assets to the NSPCA and internal disciplinary processes. They specifically target the definition of 'good standing' in the NSPCA constitution, as well as procedural rules that have allegedly been used to sideline local leadership. Legal observers note that this opens the door to a broader conversation about the governance framework relating to the SPCA movement. NSPCA responds The NSPCA challenged allegations that it misuses audits or constitutional rules to oust dissenters or absorb local assets, calling them false. 'Our operations, including financial governance, are transparent, accountable and publicly reported every single year. Assertions that the NSPCA hoards funds or owes local societies levies are factually incorrect. Membership levies are prescribed by law and relate to specific legacy funds held for animal welfare. 'The Tshwane SPCA's legacy contribution (in terms of the Act) was paid over voluntarily by the Tshwane SPCA on 1 September 2023 after they received a R9-million legacy – way before the Board took action for failing to provide financial statements. These fees are similar to any statutory body with members. 'The current legal challenge is not about advancing animal welfare. Among the applicants are individuals whose conduct contradicts the values of the NSPCA, including a Society which has not had financial statements (as required by the Act) for TWO years and going on three, and another who was removed from leadership following findings of serious neglect resulting in animal suffering. 'This is a dispute driven by personal opinions and grievances of those who did wrong, not the welfare of animals. Crisis of confidence While the NSPCA has not yet filed answering papers, the case threatens to expose fractures within South Africa's animal welfare community – fractures that could have long-term consequences for how the sector is regulated and funded. At stake is more than just leadership of one organisation: it appears to be a battle over governance, transparency and the future of collaborative animal protection in South Africa. The applicants are pushing for accountability, but also for structural reform. If successful, their case could trigger similar claims by other SPCAs and could reshape how local and national animal welfare bodies coexist – and who holds ultimate power over the country's network of SPCAs. The hearing date has not yet been set. For now, the country's most recognised animal protection body faces one of the most serious challenges in its recent history – not from outside forces, but from its own. DM
Daily Maverick
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
North West officials evade responsibility for Madikwe elephant crisis, say MPs
More than 1,000 starving elephants may have to be culled. Parliamentarians demand answers by tomorrow (Friday). In a scathing parliamentary session on Tuesday, 10 June members of the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment accused North West officials of gross mismanagement and evasion of responsibility for the ongoing elephant crisis in the Madikwe Game Reserve. The crisis, years in the making, has led to mass starvation and death among elephants, extensive environmental degradation and a controversial proposal to cull as many as 1,200 of them. The most damning testimony came from Douglas Wolhurter, manager of the Wildlife Protection Unit at the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), whose presentation laid bare a catalogue of failings by the North West Parks and Tourism Board (NWPTB) and the provincial Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism. 'This is not a sudden crisis,' Wolhurter told the committee. 'It is the result of decades of inaction. The elephant population did not explode overnight – these animals breed slowly. Every warning sign was ignored.' According to the NSPCA, Madikwe Game Reserve now holds more than 1,600 elephants – more than triple the reserve's original carrying capacity of 500, and more than six times the 250-elephant maximum suggested by early management plans. The consequence has been catastrophic: at least 70 elephants have died of starvation since August 2024, with many more in advanced stages of malnutrition. The NSPCA documented suffering animals and dead elephants whose tusks had not been removed or logged in accordance with the law – a breach of the Animals Protection Act and TOPS (Threatened or Protected Species) regulations. Wolhurter's presentation triggered a sharp reaction from members of the committee. 'This is probably one of the most shocking presentations I've seen,' said DA MP Andrew de Blocq. 'It's absolute neglect. What concrete actions have been taken to hold the board and management accountable for what they themselves admit is severe mismanagement?' Questions by a number of parliamentarians cut to the heart of the crisis: why were long-term preventative measures like immunocontraception denied by NWPTB even though they were offered repeatedly for free by the Humane World for Animals – in 1998, 2020 and 2023? Why were the NSPCA, despite their legal mandate under the Animals Protection Act, excluded from the second and subsequent meetings of the provincial task team overseeing the crisis response? Why has no independent investigation been launched? The North West response was weak at best. Jonathan Denga, acting CEO of the NWPTB, confirmed that the province had known about the issue for years but offered no justification for the failure to act. 'Yes, the elephant population is a serious problem,' Denga said. 'But many of the management options have been exhausted. We are trying to bring balance.' Pressed by a number of MPs, Denga and NWPTB chairperson Khorommbi Matibe admitted that the NSPCA had not been invited to the task team as promised and gave no timeline for actual action. 'Unfortunately, we were not privy to the NSPCA's presentation beforehand,' said Matibe. 'We need time to study it before responding in detail.' That response drew a sharp rebuke from committee chairperson Nqabisa Gantsho, who issued a stern directive: 'You have three days to respond. We expect answers by Friday, June 13.' Wolhurter had previously noted that even though a draft culling plan was shared with the NSPCA in December 2024, the organisation had received no formal updates or invitations to task team meetings since then. 'We were told we'd be included as key stakeholders,' he said, 'but that never happened.' Meanwhile, public scrutiny is intensifying. A tender issued in May by the NWPTB proposes the trophy hunting of 25 elephants, two black rhinos and 10 buffalo in Madikwe – a move widely condemned by conservationists and tourism operators, who say it risks damaging the reserve's reputation and undermining non-lethal wildlife management strategies. The North West Parks tender to buy hunting and culling 'packages' for Madikwe game reduction. Although sold as a 'game reduction' strategy, critics argue that the tender was rushed, non-transparent and economically motivated. 'This is a reputational nightmare,' one lodge operator said anonymously. 'Tourism partners were not even consulted before this tender was issued.' Scientific assessments presented by the NWPTB and echoed by Wolhurter confirm that the elephant density in Madikwe – at 2.7 animals per square kilometre – is likely to be the highest of any enclosed reserve in South Africa. In contrast, the average for state-run reserves is just 0.79 elephants per square kilometre. While all sides agree that the current population is unsustainable, the divergence lies in how to respond. The NSPCA has called for immediate inclusion in the task team, independent oversight of any culling process and long-term ecological restoration – beginning with invasive species removal and veld recovery. But even the basics are missing. 'We're still waiting for a detailed ecological restoration plan,' De Blocq pointed out. 'There is nothing measurable in place to rehabilitate the veld or ensure that the reserve can sustain its intended population.' In closing, Gantsho didn't mince her words: 'This is a matter of urgency. We have seen suffering animals. We have seen death. We have seen degradation. The time for delays is over.' This week will reveal whether North West can rise to the occasion – or continue evading accountability. DM
eNCA
11-06-2025
- eNCA
Influencer faces charges after abused dog is rescued
JOHANNESBURG - The NSPCA has confirmed that Bobby, the emaciated dog seen in the background of a viral social media video, is finally safe and in their care. The influencer at the centre of the storm is now facing charges under the Animals Protection Act. The video, which surfaced last week, showed a social media influencer dancing for the camera while a severely malnourished dog sat in the background. Bobby appeared weak and neglected, sparking widespread outrage online. 'She is the most lovable dog, handing out kisses to everyone since the moment she arrived,' the NSPCA said in a statement. 'Bobby was found severely malnourished, suffering from fly strike, and covered in ticks and fleas. She had even been forced to eat plastic to survive.' The NSPCA's Special Projects Unit immediately launched an investigation and successfully tracked down both Bobby's owner and the influencer. Bobby was taken into custody and is now receiving veterinary care and proper nutrition. While she remains in poor condition, the NSPCA says she is on a 'long road to recovery.' Once she has regained her strength and health, she will be sterilised and made available for adoption into 'the loving and caring home she deserves.' The influencer reportedly sarcastically mocked the NSPCA online after learning that the organisation was looking for her. But the tone has since changed. 'Now, she will be facing charges in terms of the Animals Protection Act, while Bobby walked out victorious against her cruelty,' the NSPCA confirmed.
