“Efforts to gain clarity on the status have been met with empty promises of imminent payment, while our three branches struggle to finance the cost of caring for tens of thousands of stray animals every year with our own slender resources.”
Smith said as an NPO reliant on public donations the effect was devastating.
“Despite the lack of funding, we continue to provide shelter, food and veterinary care to these strays. How can we not? Our mandate is to prevent animal cruelty. To abandon stray animals to a life on the streets — at risk of injury, abuse or deadly diseases like rabies — goes against everything we hold dear. We strive to do everything we can to maintain services. But the status quo is not sustainable. We need urgent intervention,” she said.
The DA has written to the deputy city manager responsible for community and emergency services Musa Gumede.
Councillor Nicole Bollman was advised that the matter was with the bid adjudication committee (BAC).
“However, further investigation indicates the only grant with the BAC is for the 2022-2023 financial year, which we have been advised will be paid before the 2023 financial year ending in June 2023.
“While the DA acknowledges the payment in progress, it is still unclear where most of the funds — about R8m — owed for the fiscal years 2020—2021 and 2021—2022, respectively, are.”
She said there was “great concern” that the arrangement enabling the municipality to fulfil its legal obligation to provide a city animal pound was in danger due to this debt to the SPCA.
“The DA has noted that despite the SPCA being registered as a “sole service provider” and a service funded by ratepaying citizens of our city, it has not received a cent of the approved municipal funding since the city animal pound's portfolio was transferred from the finance cluster to the parks and recreation cluster and the agro-ecology portfolio in 2021.
“In previous years the city has threatened to withhold funding from the SPCA as it was seen as a service provided to only 'white areas'. However, a recent oversight visit to the Durban & Coast SPCA highlighted something quite contradictory as pet owners from all walks of life and various communities unable to afford conventional veterinary services were waiting patiently to be seen by the surgery,” said Bollman.
eThekwini municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the SPCA was non-compliant [and] therefore it could not work with the city.
eThekwini municipality owes SPCA millions of rand for pound services
Image: Supplied
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is battling to get eThekwini municipality to pay millions of rand owed to the NPO for caring for tens of thousands of stray animals.
At least R12m is owed to the SPCA in Durban, Amanzimtoti and Kloof for pound services, a legal requirement for every municipality.
Durban & Coast SPCA GM Caroline Smith said the nonpayment of R12.6m which was approved for the SPCA since 2021, was putting the NPO in “a precarious and potentially devastating position” despite being registered as the city's “sole service provider”.
“Running a city pound is not the SPCA's core function. It is a service rendered to eThekwini to ensure municipal compliance with legislation. We have not received one cent of the R12.6m approved by the municipality in 2021.
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“Efforts to gain clarity on the status have been met with empty promises of imminent payment, while our three branches struggle to finance the cost of caring for tens of thousands of stray animals every year with our own slender resources.”
Smith said as an NPO reliant on public donations the effect was devastating.
“Despite the lack of funding, we continue to provide shelter, food and veterinary care to these strays. How can we not? Our mandate is to prevent animal cruelty. To abandon stray animals to a life on the streets — at risk of injury, abuse or deadly diseases like rabies — goes against everything we hold dear. We strive to do everything we can to maintain services. But the status quo is not sustainable. We need urgent intervention,” she said.
The DA has written to the deputy city manager responsible for community and emergency services Musa Gumede.
Councillor Nicole Bollman was advised that the matter was with the bid adjudication committee (BAC).
“However, further investigation indicates the only grant with the BAC is for the 2022-2023 financial year, which we have been advised will be paid before the 2023 financial year ending in June 2023.
“While the DA acknowledges the payment in progress, it is still unclear where most of the funds — about R8m — owed for the fiscal years 2020—2021 and 2021—2022, respectively, are.”
She said there was “great concern” that the arrangement enabling the municipality to fulfil its legal obligation to provide a city animal pound was in danger due to this debt to the SPCA.
“The DA has noted that despite the SPCA being registered as a “sole service provider” and a service funded by ratepaying citizens of our city, it has not received a cent of the approved municipal funding since the city animal pound's portfolio was transferred from the finance cluster to the parks and recreation cluster and the agro-ecology portfolio in 2021.
“In previous years the city has threatened to withhold funding from the SPCA as it was seen as a service provided to only 'white areas'. However, a recent oversight visit to the Durban & Coast SPCA highlighted something quite contradictory as pet owners from all walks of life and various communities unable to afford conventional veterinary services were waiting patiently to be seen by the surgery,” said Bollman.
eThekwini municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the SPCA was non-compliant [and] therefore it could not work with the city.
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“The city is aware of the issue raised by the SPCA. However, it was brought to our attention by the auditor-general and the bid adjudication committee that the SPCA is non-compliant as a service provider and would not be in a position to do business with the city.
“This matter was therefore brought to the attention of the organisation and to our knowledge they have been doing their best to be compliant ,” she said.
Khuzwayo said the amount owed was “inaccurate as there was no memorandum of agreement (MOA) in place”.
“Once the organisation is compliant we will work on a way forward in terms of drafting and signing a MOA after all processes have been followed.”
Smith rubbished the city’s claims.
“Our organisation has been jumping through hoops to ensure compliance with all requirements outlined to us by the city. We initiated processes in 2020, acting well in advance in an attempt to ensure timely payment for services rendered after the last agreement ended in June 2021. This included protracted separate processes, section 36 reports, registration on the government central database and as the sole service provider.
“We were confirmed as the sole service provider in August 2022. If a memorandum of agreement is a requirement, where is it? The MOA comes from the municipal legal department, not the supplier. The SPCA cannot be continually thrown curveballs by the city, while absorbing the expenditure as the city pound. How can a non-profit be expected to carry costs for a municipal function? It is not sustainable and we are being forced into very difficult decisions while having done the best we can for animals and for the city.”
TimesLIVE has seen the SPCA’s certificates of registration on the government central database and as a sole service provider.
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