Lowveld SPCA finally paid by municipality
The over R3 million payment from the City of Mbombela has given the White River and Nelspruit SPCAs some breathing space.
The R3 112 465 that the City of Mbombela (CoM) owed the Lowveld SPCA for the financial year 2019/20 has finally been paid.
Although the payment came too late for the now closed-down Barberton SPCA, both the White River and Nelspruit SPCAs are grateful for the overdue payment.
The chairperson for White River, Estelle de Villiers, said it is extremely grateful to the municipality for assisting it and accommodating it in discussions held in the last few months.
De Villiers said the money allowed the SPCA to once again employ a full-time, qualified inspector for its area, which will go a long way in it aiding the community.
The Nelspruit SPCA, which also received the cut meant for the former Barberton SPCA, said it was thankful for receiving the grant payment for the financial year in question for rendering services as the municipal pound. Nelspruit took over the duties in the Barberton area following the closure of its SPCA in February this year, due to a lack of funds.
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“Our monthly expenses are between R150 000 and R170 000, and we recently also took over the area of the former Barberton SPCA, placing a lot of additional strain on resources,” said this SPCA’s chairperson, Lize Pienaar. According to Pienaar, this money gives the SPCA “breathing space” and enables it to do a little bit more than what it can do when relying on donations and its own fundraising efforts.
The remaining issue to be resolved is the memorandum of agreement that exists, or rather existed, between the Lowveld SPCA and the CoM. Herein the responsibility of managing and maintaining the pounds in these respective towns was transferred from the CoM to these SPCAs.
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The most recent agreement was signed on July 27, 2018, and was valid for three years, meaning it expired on July 27, 2021. The agreement has yet to be renewed, but De Villiers said the matter is being discussed with the municipality.
The City has yet to respond to Lowvelder‘s enquiries on the matter.
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