Dogs’ shooting: charges laid

Deputy mayor of Mthonjaneni local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, Philani Ntombela, may face criminal charges as the national council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has laid charges against him and others after an investigation into the brutal shooting of four dogs in the Melmoth area.

“The NSPCA investigated the deputy mayor and his bodyguards for the cruel shooting of a dog in the Melmoth area in November 2017 and the findings were more horrific than originally reported,” the council said.

Video footage of the incident surfaced on social media, bringing it to the attention of the NSPCA and the Eshowe SPCA five days after the dog was shot. The Eshowe SPCA inspector attended to the complaint as soon as he was made aware of the situation and found one of the dogs still alive with multiple gunshot wounds.

NSPCA communications manager Meg Wilson said: “On closer analysis of the video that originally depicted a dog tied to a pole being repeatedly shot, it came to light that four dogs were shot.

“One dog was shot multiple times, another escaped wounded and two puppies were shot. One puppy was in the hands of a nineyear-old boy when it was shot.”

The deputy mayor has reportedly claimed the dogs were terrorising locals and attacking livestock in the village.

But Wilson said: “A witness stated there was no proof these were the dogs that attacked livestock as livestock roam. It was assumed it was these dogs, two of which were puppies. The sheer disregard for the dogs’ sentience is disturbing and to walk away showing no shame is unforgivable. It is inconceivable to think this was the act of a leader.

“The NSPCA has laid charges against the deputy mayor, the shooters and the dogs’ owner in terms of the Animals Protection Act. Furthermore, the police are investigating in terms of the Firearms Control Act No 60 of 2000.

Charges were also laid against the dog owner as he saw the shooting and did not report it.

Despite repeated attempts, the deputy mayor could not be reached for comment. – ANA