As we begin a new year, with all its challenges and rewards, I want to pause for a moment to acknowledge the gains of the past year.
Many of you will have closely followed the case of Benji, the pet dog that was viciously stabbed to death, and Inspector Siviwe Noko’s tireless efforts to bring those responsible to book. What you might not know is that Benji’s case is just one of about 50 animal cruelty cases opened by our SPCA last year in eleven magisterial districts across Cape Town.
Our Inspectors spend countless hours gathering evidence, preparing dockets and appearing in court. Often cases are summarily dismissed; invariably there are postponements and delays with successful convictions taking months, if not years to obtain. We are able to continue with this important work only because concerned animals lovers like you support us so generously – and I want to thank you sincerely for standing with us and sharing our commitment to ‘speak’ for animals that cannot speak for themselves. Thank you!
I also must thank the many runners and cyclists who choose to raise funds for our SPCA through their efforts. Thanks to our amazing supporters, our organisation won the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon GEES competition prize of R50 000, which will go towards the needs of the many, many rescue animals in our care.
Finally, I congratulate our Fundraising Manager, Belinda Abraham, who was invited to speak at the International Fundraising Conference about our funding initiatives. Belinda and her team do a remarkable job to ensure the sustainability of our organisation, which receives no government funding.