Provincial official may face dismissal for role in dog fighting

A WESTERN Cape Department of Agriculture senior official, accused of being part of a dogfighting ring, has until Friday to appeal his dismissal.

Department spokesman Wouter Kriel said the case had not been finalised because the man could lodge an appeal. Until this happened, Kriel said, the case remained a private internal matter.

The employee, Ferdinand Endemann, was one of 10 people arrested in a raid on a smallholding in Ladywood, where a fight between American pitbulls took place on May 14, 2011.

Animal welfare organisations have commended the department for acting.

Karel du Toit, chairman of the Knysna Animal Welfare Society, said he was glad that the department had taken action on the matter.

Cape of Good Hope SPCA chief Allan Perrins said the department was entrusted with “upholding the Animal Protection Act” and welcomed the disciplinary action taken against its official.

Perrins described dog fighting as a “heinous blood sport”.

A senior inspector for the NSPCA testified last week during the disciplinary hearing about the seriousness of the crime. While he could not go into detail, the inspector also spoke about the employee’s alleged presence at the scene.

The inspector said the NSPCA had lodged a complaint against the employee with the provincial Department of Agriculture in August.

He said the department was linked to the NSPCA and claimed that the employee had brought the department into disrepute.

The 40-year-old man and nine other accused made their first appearance in the George Regional Court on Friday.

The matter was postponed until April 13.

The case was first heard in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court before being transferred.

Seven of the confiscated pitbulls were put down.

The 10 accused included the agriculture official and the chairman of an American pitbull union.

The suspects were aged between 23 and 51. They are believed to be key players in the blood sport.

While some were from Plettenberg Bay, others came from as far as East London, Somerset West and Joburg.

They face charges of contravention of the Animal Protection Act.