Umkomaas man castrates dog with knife, sentenced for animal cruelty
The court imposed the maximum sentence for the crime.
AN Umkomaas man was convicted of animal cruelty at the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on Friday, January 21 and the Amanzimtoti SPCA has welcomed the sentence.
Zama Zawana was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for cutting off his dog’s testicles with a knife. Zawana will have to serve the whole sentence and the court also found him unfit to own a pet for the next five years, and unfit to own a firearm.
The court was told that Zawana, who lives in a rural area, was angry that his dog continued escaping to a neighbouring farm. To punish the dog, he cut off its testicles.
The Amanzimtoti SPCA’s Luke Keyser said witnesses raised the alarm and the local animal welfare organisation rushed the dog to a vet, who tried to stabilise the dog and perform a reconstructive procedure.
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“Unfortunately, the dog was too traumatised and there was no other option but to put it down,” said Keyser.
A case of animal cruelty was opened at Umkomaas SAPS and Zawana was arrested. Passing the sentence, the magistrate commended the Amanzimtoti SPCA, and other organisations that do similar work, for standing up for animals and giving them a voice.
“This is a huge victory for us as the SPCA and we are happy that the court meted out the maximum sentence for this type of crime. Hopefully, this will serve as a deterrent to others who abuse animals. We urge anyone who witnesses animal abuse to come forward and report it,” said Keyser.
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