Dozens of cats and dogs at the SPCA in Kariega face possible euthanasia as the organisation is being asked to vacate the premises it has occupied for 57 years.
A long-standing relationship between the animal welfare group and the municipality ground to a halt this week, with the directive being issued after a meeting between officials and SPCA representatives on Tuesday afternoon.
Staff were given just 24 hours to vacate the offices and clinic and move into two small containers on the premises.
After intense negotiations, they were granted a 30-day extension for the domestic animals in their care to remain on the premises.
However, these animals must be out by February 20.
The development comes days after The Herald reported that the municipal pound had been closed for nearly three months.
However, in a statement released late on Wednesday, municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya claimed the pound was open and ready to receive animals.
He said the service provider had been appointed in the first week of January.
“Engagements with the department of agriculture and veterinary services to upgrade the pound and add a fully functional animal clinic at the pound precinct are at an advanced stage,” he said.
“Previously, the municipality operated in partnership with the SPCA as a service provider, and we extend our appreciation for the great work they performed.
“The municipality reiterates that it is under no obligation to renew any contract or agreement as per government procurement regulations and laws.”
Responding to the municipal statement that the pound was open, SPCA chair Deirdre Swift said despite the fact that SPCA staff had been instructed to empty their offices on Wednesday morning, “that’s how they remain — empty".
“They have not brought a thing to supposedly accommodate these animals that are being impounded — not a bowl, not a blanket, no food on site."
In an earlier statement on Facebook, the SPCA wrote: “To our loyal supporters, fellow animal lovers and the community ... we have very serious news to share.
“The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has not renewed our contract to act as the municipal pound and has issued a directive for the SPCA Uitenhage & District to vacate the premises we have called home for over 50 years.”
According to the post, the SPCA will in the interim no longer have access to the pedestrian gate, buzzer or reception container.
“For decades, we have served [Kariega], Despatch, Kirkwood and surrounding areas, providing care and protection to abused, abandoned and injured animals — pets, livestock and wildlife,“ it reads.
“We urgently need to secure funding to purchase a new property close by and rebuild kennels and facilities for our cats and dogs.
“Without this, we face an unthinkable but unavoidable decision with regards to the 60 animals currently in our care.
“Please help us remain a voice for the voiceless.
“We cannot afford to shut down.
“Our animals need us.”
The directive to vacate followed the appointment of a new service provider to operate the municipal pound, which is located on the same property as the SPCA.
However, as of February 20, the dogs and cats can no longer be housed in kennels on the premises.
Swift said staff and volunteers were devastated by the decision, which now placed 27 dogs and 30 cats at risk if alternative premises could not be secured by the deadline.
“We were told to vacate the property with immediate effect as we are now illegally on the property,” Swift said.
She said the SPCA was instructed to make space for the new service provider, who required access to the offices and clinic.
Swift said though the SPCA would love for their animals to be adopted, they could not allow emotional adoptions and had to abide by the existing SPCA protocols.
“People might want to save the animals now but then palm them off to someone else because they don’t actually want them,” she said.
“We have to make sure that these animals are going to the right homes, for the right reasons.”
Over nearly six decades, the SPCA has constructed kennels, offices and a fully functioning clinic on the property.
Over the next month, the SPCA will continue operating from two small containers on the site, limiting its work to handling animal cruelty cases only.
All other services, including the intake of stray animals and livestock, will fall under the responsibility of the new municipal pound operator.
Swift said unless a new property was secured, and suitable kennels were built in time, euthanasia would be unavoidable.
“The municipality said they didn’t want us to put these animals down because they didn’t want to be held responsible,” she said.
“But unless we have somewhere to house them, we cannot avoid this fate.”
DA councillor Mthokozisi Nkosi said previously that a briefing for the tender for the operation of the municipal pound was held on December 23 2025, and though the SPCA had a representative present, they were forced to withdraw their application as it was not possible to submit it before the December 31 deadline.
“The only service provider that was able to submit for this tender was a company called Busy Bee, and because they were the only company able to bid, they were awarded the tender,” he said.
He said Busy Bee was awarded R750,000 for a six- to 12-month contract.
However, Swift claimed the municipality still owed the SPCA R373,000.
She hoped, if the outstanding amount was settled timeously, they would be able to use it to assist with securing new premises and looking after the domestic animals in their care.
The crisis has also placed 15 jobs in jeopardy.
“If we do not find premises before February 20, the SPCA will cease to exist and all our staff will lose their jobs,” Swift said.
The Uitenhage SPCA forms part of an organisation that has operated in the Bay for 110 years, since 1916.
Swift appealed to local businesses and the public for assistance, saying the only alternative property offered to the SPCA was financially out of reach.
“We survive on donations, so we cannot get a bond,” she said.
Registered animal welfare assistant Maryke Vermaak, who would be tasked with euthanising the animals if no solution was found, spoke through tears.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
“I built the clinic myself and now I just have to give it away.”
The forced move also affects staff living on the premises.
One municipal requirement was that the property be occupied 24 hours a day, resulting in SPCA inspector Juan-Marie Maritz and her family residing on site.
Maritz, who lives there with her wife, children, three dogs and three cats, said the uncertainty was taking a heavy toll.
“We are very stressed,” she said.
“We need to find somewhere new and start from scratch.
“That’s not the kind of stability you need for your children.”
She said it felt as though the work the SPCA had done for the municipality over decades was being dismissed.
“It feels like a slap in the face,” she said.
Public health political head Tshonono Buyeye, who attended the handover, said the municipality’s priority was restoring pound services to the community.
“We want to welcome the new service provider and thank the previous service provider,” Buyeye said.
“They have done good work over the years, but through the processes there is now a new service provider.”
The new operator, Stanley Adams, was present but declined an interview, saying he was still assessing the premises.
He said he had more than 20 years’ experience working with animals and had previously worked alongside the SPCA.
Swift confirmed that she knew Adams as he provided farrier services to the SPCA working with the stray donkeys.
Buyeye said the municipality would push the new provider to resume services as soon as possible, citing widespread issues with stray animals across the Bay.
“In Motherwell alone there are about 30 cows at the gravesite,” he said.
“We also receive complaints from Walmer residents about animals roaming at night.”
He said stray animals posed safety risks and might spread disease, particularly amid the national outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
“We need to control the movement of animals to make sure the people of Nelson Mandela Bay are safe,” Buyeye said.
After the handover, Swift said the reality of losing the SPCA’s long-time home was setting in.
“It has finally hit home that the SPCA might not have a home,” she said.
“We will continue to provide our service as best we can, but this situation is out of our control.”
She again appealed for urgent assistance from the Nelson Mandela Bay community.
The Herald
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