Zuma’s Nkandla homestead investigated by SPCA – report

A report in The Sowetan on Friday has revealed that the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) were last month made to investigate the controversial Nkandla homestead owned by former president Jacob Zuma.

They received an anonymous complaint by telephone on February 14 that animals on the property were being neglected, allegedly because personnel on the controversial property were mainly there for security reasons and weren’t looking after the animals. The complainant claimed animals had been abandoned.

An investigator was initially refused access to the supposed national key point, but when access was later granted it was found that most of the animals were generally in good condition, although the cattle reportedly didn’t have water and there were “some problems” with the goats and sheep.

SPCA director Marcelle Meredith was quoted as saying “the goats particularly had a problem with their hoofs”.

Zuma was forced to repay nearly R18 million of the more than R200 million in taxpayer money that had gone to numerous non-security related upgrades, which included a cattle kraal, swimming pool, chicken run, tuck shop, amphitheatre and visitors’ centre.

Other major public officials have had run-ins with the SPCA. In 2014, National Council of Provinces Speaker Thandi Modise had criminal charges laid against her following allegations of neglect of animals on her North West farm.

Police and SPCA officials found starving and dead animals on the farm. About 85 live pigs had cannibalised 58 dead pigs, and were reportedly drinking their own urine. Sheep, geese, goats and ducks were also among the more than 100 dead animals. Others had to be euthanised as they had been without water and food for as long as two weeks.