SPCA awaits vital City funding
The funding is for services rendered by the SPCA to the municipality for carrying out the Pound Function to collect strays look after them at the pound.
THE EThekwini SPCAs are desperate for the Municipality to make good on their commitment of R13.5-million funding which was approved by the City’s executive committee (EXCO) in August. The funding was approved across the three SPCA’s in eThekwini, namely Kloof & Highway, Durban & Coast and the Amanzimtoti branches.
The funding is for services rendered by the SPCA to the municipality for carrying out the Pound Function to collect strays look after them at the pound.
According to the general manager of the Durban & Coast SPCA, Caroline Smith, the matter had been handed over to the City’s Health Unit to finalise a memorandum of agreement before any money could be paid.
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“This is not a donation, nor a ‘grant in aid’, but is for carrying out the Pound Function. We impound strays on behalf of the City. It’s a service we are happy to provide in the best interest of the animals, as we have the skills, resources and qualified personnel to do it compassionately and humanely. But obviously it comes at a financial cost for us. As an NPO we rely on the generosity of the public with private donations and we do not receive any state funding.”
“The funding should apply from the month of August for distribution among the three SPCA’s for the next three years. Since the matter was ruled on at the EXCO committee meeting, we’ve been awaiting the Memorandum of Agreement from the City’s Health Unit in order to facilitate the payment. However that has not materialised. We’ve also suggested our legal team draw up the agreement but we haven’t heard anything back. We had a meeting scheduled for early in September but it was cancelled, and we have made attempts to reschedule.”
Smith said the lack of funding from the City is having a detrimental effect on their finances.
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“We are very anxious for this to be finalised. At the moment we are carrying the costs associated with the Pound Function. It is frustrating for us as the longer this goes on the more dire the situation becomes for us from a financial point of view,” she said.
The City was not available for comment at the time of publication.
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