CHAIRMANS REPORT – 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 On behalf of the Roodepoort SPCA, its Management Committee and staff, we would like to welcome everyone present to the 68th Annual General Meeting of the Roodepoort SPCA. This past financial year brought a lot of change to the Roodepoort SPCA. In October 2012, due to the Roodepoort SPCA being in contravention of the SPCA Act, the NSPCA Board appointed Andries Venter, Este Kotze, Jane Marston, Christine Kuch and Jaco Pieterse to the Management Committee to replace three existing committee members. The reason for these appointments was to ensure that the Roodepoort SPCA was fully compliant in terms of the SPCA Act. Following these appointments, the remaining members of the committee resigned and the NSPCA has thus been managing the affair of the Roodepoort SPCA to date. Este Kotze and Jane Marston stepped down as committee members and we were joined by Marcelle Meredith (Treasurer) and Sr Theresa Lotter (Vice chairman). The Roodepoort SPCA was found to be in disarray when the NSPCA Board appointed committee took over. Many policies were changed and new policies implemented to ensure that the Society is compliant. The new committee has achieved the following since taking over in October 2012: - Employment of another Inspector to combat animal cruelty in our district; - Purchase of a new Inspectorate vehicle; - Implementation and now working according to a budget that was never in place; - Instigation of changes in the hospital as it was not compliant with SAVC regulations; We can proudly report that the hospital is now compliant; - A new x-ray machine was purchased for the hospital as the old machine was costing money to repair on a continuous basis; - The SPCA investment was switched to Coronation to ensure that we obtain the highest return possible; - The services of NOESA have been secured to attend to any labour related issues; - Staff are now being assessed on a monthly basis to ensure that they are working according to standards; - Allegations which appeared in the media at the time have been investigated by the committee; Much rumour-mongering and old wives tales have caused the SPCA movement great harm. We are constantly fighting perceptions that no longer or have never had any place in our movement. Policies and procedures have been changed for the benefit of the animals that we serve. Whilst we understand that we cannot change people’s perceptions overnight, we reinforce our achievements and homing successes. Only through transparency will we be able to put negative perceptions to rest. We have a varied and interesting job at the SPCA, sometimes heartbreaking, however we do it because we care for animals. We deal with all living creatures, not only dogs and cats. We receive calls pertaining to wild animals, farm animals and companion animals. Our staff has been up trees, down sewage drains, under foundations of buildings and the most unimaginable places but we never leave any animal behind. With all the changes to the Management Committee, our former Manager decided to resign the position and reverted to being a full time Inspector – which is where his passion lies. We welcomed Mandy Cattanach as our new Manager. Mandy is a Senior Inspector with over 20 years experience in the SPCA movement and has successfully managed various SPCAs. We believe in positive change, which will only benefit all the needy animals in the Roodepoort district. Have you ever asked yourself the question: What is an SPCA without an Inspector? Perhaps a pound, boarding facility or an adoption agency for companion animals. These are all activities that curb the potential for cruelty, but there is no mechanism for the reactive and proactive detection and prevention of cruelty without an Inspector. SPCA Inspectors are the backbone of the movement and on the frontline of combating cruelty, facing the inhumane deeds of mankind, whose capacity for cruelty is sometimes only limited to imagination. Without an Inspector we would not be able to prevent cruelty to animals and we would not be able to enforce animal protection legislation. In the past year our Inspectorate has been hard at work. We received over 870 cruelty complaints, over 330 routine inspections were conducted, 235 warnings were issued and 71 pro-active inspections were conducted at various facilities, i.e. grooming parlours, abattoirs, hawking sites, etc. We continue educating and working with the equine owners in the Soweto area. Education of working equine includes shoeing of equine, correct harnessing, correct loading and safety of the vehicles, but our work doesn’t stop there, we have to ensure that the equine owners comply. This means that our Inspectorate staff does proactive spot inspections of working equine and ensuring that their welfare is not compromised in any manner. In the past year we have assisted the JMPD twice with working equine problems. The JMPD took the decision to enforce the Municipal By-laws and remove the equines from Soweto. A notice was left with the equine owners in White City warning them that they are to find alternative living areas for the equines, which may not be in the residential areas; if they failed to adhere to the warning the animals would be impounded. In April 2012 the JMPD impounded 38 equines in total, which included horses, ponies and donkeys. Our Inspectorate was on site ensuring the loading of the equine was carried out correctly and that no animal was left to suffer. In 2012 more equine were impounded by the EMPD from Zola coal yard. All the impounded equine were transported to the Roodepoort SPCA were they were examined by our veterinarians and a number of problems were found, which included lameness, extremely bad shoeing resulting in hoof abscesses, poor dental health and most of the equines were very under weight. Unfortunately six of the equines had to be humanely destroyed due to serious neglect, and the other equines were homed. 10 Pit Bull dogs which were chained in unacceptable conditions were confiscated by our Inspectorate with a warrant. Charges of animal cruelty were opened against Mr Fanie Joubert. The case was taken over by Senior Inspector Andries Venter of the NSPCA. The case was concluded in the Roodepoort Magistrates court whereby Mr Joubert pleaded guilty to the charges against him. Mr Joubert was sentenced to a fine of R2,500.00 or 3 months in prison, with a 2 year suspended sentence. In February this year our Inspectorate responded to a complaint regarding two German Shepherd Dogs being tied up with the owner beating them on a continuous basis. The complainant provided our Inspectorate with video footage showing the owner beating the dogs. The case was investigated and two dogs were confiscated from the property with warrant and charges of animal cruelty were opened against the owner. Not only does our Inspectorate respond to cruelty complaints, but we also assist with rescues and emergency cases where animals are in desperate need of intervention, sometimes placing our staff’s lives at risk. Our staff often goes beyond the call of duty to save animals. A cow fell into a 3 meter deep by 1.5 meters wide hole and our Inspectorate managed to secure rope around the animal behind its front legs. With a lot of huffing and puffing the cow was successfully rescued. We continue working hard on our outreach programs – sterilising as many animals as possible. Our full time hospital is hard at work helping the underprivileged. Education is vital and we continue to educate people on the humane treatment of all animals. Our hospital sterilised 2,003 animals and 3,242 animals were treated. On behalf of the Management Committee I would like to thank all of the staff members for their hard work and dedication during this past financial year. You are the front runners of this Society, and without you, we would not be able to prevent cruelty to animals. Last but not least we would like to thank all our loyal supporters. Without your ongoing kindness and generosity we would not be able to keep our doors open and combat animal cruelty. We receive no government funding whatsoever and solely rely on public donations to keep our head above some difficult water. Together we can make a difference in the welfare of all animals. Jaco Pieterse Chairman
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 06:57:30 +0000
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