R488 000 to help curb animal cruelty

MySchool MyVillage MyPlanethas donated R488 000 to the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) to boost inspector and field officer training.

Despite being a nation of animal lovers, animal cruelty and negligence remains a harsh reality in South Africa. Organisations such as the NSPCA provide a voice for, and fight the battle on behalf of domestic, farm and wild animals on a daily basis.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns have seen reports of negligence and cruelty spiralling, adding significantly to the workload of NSPCA inspectors, who conduct critical investigations to save these vulnerable animals.

This donation will help boost the NSPCA’s capacity to train these all-important inspectors and field officers, who undergo vigorous training to prepare them to do their jobs. On the frontline, they are deployed to investigate allegations of deliberate negligence, rescuing animals when necessary, and instituting relevant prosecution processes.

The training is a costly exercise, but critical to the continued fight against animal cruelty in South Africa, says Morgane James, NSPCA training unit manager. With the motto “Training for a kinder world”, the unit and the officers it trains embody the animal welfare organisation’s objective of promoting kindness, preventing cruelty, and alleviating the suffering of innocent animals.

“The NSPCA provides training [free of charge] to inspector and field officer trainees at their offices in Johannesburg. This ensures that no person is disadvantaged or unable to attend, due to a lack of finances,” says James, expressing their enormous gratitude for the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet donation, which will allow them to enlist more trainees.

Field officers and inspectors are critical members of SPCA teams around the country, committed to spreading the welfare message and addressing cases of animal neglect, cruelty and disaster situations. Education is a vital component of animal protection, as is law enforcement in cases of malicious cruelty, such as dogfighting.

Pieter Twine, general manager of MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, extended his thanks to the loyal and generous supporters of the programme who enabled the donation: “Our programme is proof that every single person can make a big difference. Over a million people are swiping their MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cards every month, and the impact of each small gesture is massive. Thanks to the support of cardholders, we can assist organisations such as the NSPCA to continue doing valuable community work.” –