Mystery over death of livestock
The SPCA has issued a noncompliance notice to two local emerging farmers for allegedly abandoning livestock without food and water for some time, after three goats were found dead at the animal shelter area behind the Sabelo Pemba residential area.
SPCA trainee inspector and manager Miliswa Sithole said the SPCA was informed about the matter on Wednesday evening after a man reported that goats were dying of starvation and dehydration at the shelter.
Sithole and her team went to assess the situation the next day.
We found the animals without food and water. A goat and two kids were dead. We took drums of water
“and bought eight bales of lucerne to feed them,” she said, adding that the other animals were in good condition. However, the goat s eyes had
’ been gouged out, causing suspicion about the cause of death.
The SPCA advised the animal shelter s owner, Sindiwe
’
Mjongile, to take one of the goats to a vet for a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.
But Sithole said this could not be done because the bodies had started to decompose.
The man who reported the matter to the SPCA and also contacted The Rep, preferred to remain anonymous, citing fear of being sued.
I have been observing the animal negligence for a while, but I never raised the subject with the owner. This time the animals were left for three weeks without food and water.”
This came as a shock to Mjongile, who shares her animal shelter with two other emerging farmers. She believes her brother-in-law reported the incident, alleging he is after the livestock shelter.
My husband passed away
“two years ago while his younger brother was in prison. He recently got out and has been threatening me, demanding his brother s possessions ’.”
’‘
She said she was planning to open a case against him and they had hired a person to look after the livestock.
Mjongile said one of the men sharing space with her tended to the livestock daily.
The man said he last tended to the animals on Tuesday morning and there were no dead kids, yet the person who reported this claims it has been three weeks since the animals went out of the enclosure and received food.”
Mjongile said a week earlier she had bought four bales of lucerne for the animals.