An angel cares for animals

The circumstances in which residents of Pipeline informal settlement live, is less than accommodating, to say the least.

The majority of the people who try to make their living in-between the makeshift shacks and the river of sewage that runs through it, are illegal immigrants. Yet, some of these people still attempt to keep animals, not just for protection, but also companionship.

Because these people can hardly keep themselves fed and warm, it usually is their animals that have to bear the brunt of a harsh winter more than their owners do.

This is where Bloubosrand resident Klarika Nettleton has stepped in and took it upon herself to see that these animals are fed regularly by taking food into to the settlement and finding animals and their owners who are in need.

“I don’t understand how people can own animals when they live in a hell like this,” complains Nettleton. “These people hardly have enough to care for themselves, how can they care for these animals too?”

She also helps to run a community veterinary clinic in conjunction with the South African Veterinary Association (Sava), which provides primary healthcare services including vaccinations, parasite control and sterilisation to anyone who qualifies for subsidised rates.

The clinic is held one Saturday a month at the open veld area just before the informal settlement in Agnes Road, Kya Sands, from 2pm to 4pm. Dates for future clinics are: 14 June, 12 July, 16 August and 20 September.

Details: Klarika Nettleton 011 462 1445.