Dear Members, Supporters, and Friends of the Lower South Coast SPCA,

As Chairperson of the Lower South Coast SPCA, it is my honour to present the annual report for the year ended 2024. It is a privilege to reflect on our progress and the impact we have managed to make in our community. This year we have faced significant challenges, yet our team has made remarkable achievements in preventing and alleviating suffering and improving the lives of the animals in our community.

Without the generosity and support of our Community and Businesses, we would not have been able to do this. We get no assistance from Government. The LOTTO funding ceased more than 4 years ago as animal welfare no longer forms part of their contributions.

Yet the need of our Lower South Coast SPCA services has increased dramatically. We are helping many more people and animals than previous years. The closure of Kokstad SPCA has further increased our burden of care. Yesterday we were called out to help in Swartberg where massive fires injured over 150 sheep and cattle. Our inspectorate staff, Jacob and Sonny, had the traumatic and sad task of assisting with euthanizing the suffering animals. Due to dire financial situations and immigration, we are seeing an enormous increase in unwanted, abused, abandoned and neglected animals. Many irresponsibly “given-away” pets end up victims of neglect in inappropriate homes or hoarding situations.

This financial year we had a total of 4975 animals come through our doors. These numbers increase with each passing year. Our aim is, where possible, to alleviate suffering, providing necessary medical care, food and shelter. When we are unable to treat and relieve the animal’s pain and suffering, we humanly euthanize. Our unit successfully rescued and rehabilitated 426 animals, which were sterilized and adopted to loving homes. an increase from 396 adoptions of the previous financial year. The maths shows that we do not have enough homes for all the animals which come to us. This is the sad fact of our unit which cannot turn any animal away. Heart breaking decisions fall on our staff who have healed, loved, cared-for, walked, played with and bonded with these animals which they then have to reluctantly take to be painlessly and gently euthanized. The trauma the staff go through in this necessary but dreadful part of their work cannot be over exaggerated. Yet, instead of praise, sympathy and empathy staff are far too often the receivers of vile and vitriolic verbal abuse.

Our dedicated Inspectorate Team attended to over 200 cruelty cases and conducted numerous welfare checks, ensuring that animals in our region are treated with the care and respect they deserve. This includes routine inspections conducted at abattoirs, hawking
sites, saleyards, pet shops, breeding facilities, kennels etc. Inspector Jacob Maduna opened four cruelty case dockets, to date one was successfully won in court. The Inspectorate department collected 3345 animals during this financial year which just demonstrates the immense need for assistance out in the community. This figure does not include veterinary collections.

The Lower South Coast SPCA’s area of operation is from Hibberdene to Port Edward including Harding, Paddock, Mbizana and inland rural areas. As stated earlier with the closure of Kokstad the area we are called to help with is even larger. Our inspectorate department travel hundreds of kilometers per day in the harshest terrain.

The importance of the prevention of animal cruelty can never be underestimated, it is a proven fact that often animal cruelty and animal abuse leads to abuse and violence against people. A community that treats its animals with respect, dignity and love will also take care of their fellow humans. To promote empathy and a culture of caring and respect for our fellow creatures we have implemented education programs where we visit schools or invite schools to visit our unit where we help to instil students with important messages about responsible pet ownership and animal welfare. We successfully run community service programs working with various high schools. We have seen a high increase in this type of partnership over this year.

We feel passionate about our outreach programmes where we attempt to do monthly visits to our rural communities to educate, vaccinate and conduct proactive inspections at homes. We performed over 1300 spay and neuter surgeries, significantly reducing the number of unwanted animals in our community. Over 2100 animals were given veterinary care through our Clinic. This initiative is crucial in preventing overpopulation and ensuring a healthier, more sustainable environment for both animals and people. We are grateful to have Dr Didier Wadima back in our Clinic team as our Locum Veterinarian.

Maintenance is an ongoing project at the SPCA as we trying to improve our facilities and to better the lives of the animals in our care. We recently had our front area walls painted which helps to lift the mood and vibe of our SPCA. Thanks to a generous donor, we were
able to complete much-needed renovations to our stray/isolation block, providing a more comfortable and safer environment for the animals in our care. These improvements have also enhanced our ability to offer better services to the community and improve the overall efficiency of our operations.

Mike’s goal to arrange a first-time ever walk from the SPCA to Port Edward to highlight the units need for new vehicles came to fruition with a very successful walk in March this year. Our walk along the highway from the SPCA to Port Edward raised awareness and support
and donations of R30 000. Sixteen staff members and two committee members began the 33 km team building walk with nine staff members and Mike walking the full distance. We have hopes to grow this event into an annual event and include walkers from the public to join us in this fund-raising yearly event.

This past year has not been easy with the economic climate impacting donations, escalating costs of fuel and essential expenses and yet an ever-increasing demand for our services. Despite this our team has shown remarkable resilience and dedication. We remain committed to finding innovative solutions and establishing new partnerships to help overcome obstacles and continue our vital work. We will continue to prioritise the wellbeing of animals and strive to encourage a kinder more empathetic society.

I would like to extend my respect and gratitude to Mike Davis and his team for steering our well-loved and needed SPCA through hazardous and often sabotaged waters and to have built it from where it was to what we have today. I would like to thank Cynthia Steyn, our
Treasurer for all the time she devotes generously and with passionate dedication to the wellbeing of our SPCA. I experienced firsthand the dreadful state our SPCA was in and to where it is now. I have seen this SPCA at its worst and am privileged to see it now as a place I feel honoured to be part of. Thank you SPCA staff and management your task isn’t easy, but nothing can be more rewarding than knowing you made a difference to animal suffering and that your life has helped make this world a kinder place.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors, supporters and volunteers. Without support from our community, we wouldn’t be able to achieve our objectives. Thank you for your unwavering dedication and support for animal welfare which has even during these trying and difficult times allowed us to have achieved so much and made a difference in the lives of animals and our community.
Thank you,

Susan Henderson