A resident of the area recently received a stiff sentence in the Carletonville Magistrates court for neglecting his animals.

  Christof Simelane, a resident of Tugela Street in the Phomolong Villiage at East Driefontein appeared in court on 10 January in connection with transgressions of the Animal Protection Act. He was found guilty and sentenced to a fine of R2 000 or four months imprisonment.

  According to personnel of the Carletonville SPCA they received complaints about Simelane’s yard for the first time on 24 March last year. When they inspected the property, they found that he kept nine greyhounds and a dachshund in a pen of only a few metres wide. The dogs only had filthy bowls from which to drink and the only food that was put out for them was sour mealie meal porridge, which the animals refused to eat.

  The pen in which the dogs were kept, was also not cleaned and was so dirty that they had to stand on mud and their own excretions.

  As Simelane was not at home, the SPCA left a copy of the Animal Protection Act indicated that he was not adhering to it and left a note for Simelane to call them back.

  Although Simelane did call back and promised to move the dogs to better conditions at his home elsewhere in the country over the Easter weekend, the dogs were still in the same horrendous conditions when SPCA personnel arrived again.

  The SPCA eventually left a total of six warnings and even obtained assistance from the Goldfields housing office to contact Simelane about the matter.

  After it became clear that Simelane was ignoring the warnings, the Carletonville SPCA opened a case of animal neglect with the Carletonville police.

  “We want to send out a message to residents that they must not ignore warnings given out by us,” Ms Marlene Howie of the Carletonville SPCA told the Herald.

  “We do not mind educating animal owners if they are unsure of how to take care of their animals, but then they must cooperate with us,” says Howie.

  She added that members of the community must feel free to contact the SPCA at 018 788 6262 if they need any information or want to report cases of animal cruelty.