SPCA correct to nail deputy mayor

We welcome the move by the SPCA to bring criminal charges against the deputy mayor of the Mthonjaneni municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, following the brutal shooting of four dogs in Melmoth.

According to the SPCA, video surfaced on social media which showed that one of the dogs which were shot had been tied to a pole.

And one of the two puppies killed had been in the hands of a nine-year-old boy when it was shot.

Deputy mayor Philani Ntombela has claimed the dogs were terrorising people and killing livestock, which the SPCA disputed.

The society said it had a witness who said there was no proof the dogs which were killed were responsible.

Whatever the truth of the matter, the summary execution of these animals has to be condemned and we say this well aware we might be accused of paying more attention to the plight of animals than of people.

The reality is that a person who abuses animals will, in all likelihood, display violence towards humans, too.

And let’s not forget that there was allegedly reckless discharge of a firearm.

It is also worth remembering that a society is judged by how its treats its most vulnerable… and that includes animals.

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