The news of the Estcourt and District SPCA closure painted a dreadful picture. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is known for being South Africa’s leading animal welfare watch dog – but not every dog has its day.
On Thursday evening, March 19 a special general meeting was called at the Methodist Church Hall by the Management Committee. One of the aims of the meeting was to recruit community members to serve on the committee and manage the SPCA. At the time attendants were well aware of the closure of the SPCA and no one was willing to be a member of the new Management Committee, therefore a Management Committee could not be formed.
The lack of community support was made clear when the hall was occupied by a maximum of 20 community members after the urgency and importance of the meeting was made clear amongst the public. This left the few who supported the SPCA through both good and bad times, outraged. The closure of the SPCA was not a quick or easy decision. It was made with a long-term view, taking into account the current and projected situation in all aspects.
The main priority is ensuring the best provision for the care of animals. The Estcourt and District SPCA closed their doors on Friday, March 20. Lack of support from the public, tough economic times as well as other factors, led up to the deregistration of the Estcourt and District SPCA branch, forcing the organisation to close their doors. The National SPCA has committed itself to continue servicing the Estcourt and District area after the closure of its branch, by assisting with inspections, investigation of alleged cruelty, neglect or abuse.
This would also include the collection of stray or unwanted animals. Neighbouring SPCA’s are about to see an increase in fury friends they take care of, due to the closure of the Estcourt and District SPCA as the animals that were in their care were moved. The closure has a huge impact on the current management team, staff and those animal lovers who enjoyed making a trip to the SPCA to either adopt a fury friend or volunteer their time.
For many community members, some of who volunteered at the SPCA over the years, watched the branch grow, have witnessed animals regain their health after either being abused or neglected, the news is a complete nightmare and they refuse to accept it. One emotional community member said it would be as if they are turning a blind eye on abused, unwanted and stray animals. “This is just very sad” and “this is horrible” are some of the many things that were echoed among the attendants throughout the meeting.
One of the fitting questions raised was whether the closing branch did enough as far as fundraising was concerned. A member from the Management Committee said that financial constraints was not the only issue, which resulted in the deregistration. After the consideration and evaluation of all sustainable alternatives, it’s simply not enough to keep the branch from going underwater.
There is no way to have this branch running, which needs to cover an area too big for the staff to handle. The current Management Committee is more than willing to continue helping out where possible.
In a press release the spokesperson for the National SPCA, Public Relations Officer Jaco Pieterse, explains that: “There is a common misconception that SPCAs are government-run or government funded. Neither is the case. Every SPCA is reliant on the community it serves for its own management and survival. The standard question of whether more could have been done to “save” the Estcourt and District SPCA will arise again in this instance. Closure was less related to lack of funds than to the failure of the community to come forward and be willing to act as stakeholders, which they are. South Africa has over 80 individual SPCAs, all of whom are deserving of support. We ask that communities ensure that the SPCA in their area is given the recognition and support needed.”
All assets owned by the SPCA are to be donated to neighbouring SPCA’s Staff members of Estcourt’s SPCA/Management Committee remain positive and are aware that each SPCA has different needs depending on the community they are serving and the area they are based in. They hope to in the near future open an animal welfare centre and hope that community involvement will enable the sustainability of the centre and that with the support of the general public and businesses it will thrive. Steps have been taken to engage the municipality and other organisations and individuals to assess the viability of opening a private animal welfare centre.
