News24 reports that the SPCA in Nelson Mandela Bay does not know how it will pay staff members after the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality allegedly failed to pay an outstanding amount of about R620,000 it owes the organisation.
The facility, situated in Kariega just outside Gqeberha, services the entire metro by running and maintaining an animal pound on behalf of the municipality. But the SPCA has allegedly not been paid since January. Now staff members, who usually get paid weekly, will in all likelihood be left high and dry when payday arrives on Tuesday. Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Bay SPCA, Deirdre Swift, explained that they have no direct affiliation with the municipality other than the fact that the SPCA manages the municipality's animal pound. The agreement is that the municipality reimburses the SPCA every month for costs incurred. However, this has not happened for half of the year. In the meantime, the facility's telephone lines were cut last Friday and they have lost access to critical vaccines for the animals due to a lack of funds. Swift explained that countless meetings had been held with the municipality but to no avail. She said: “I don't want to create a bad relationship with the municipality but we need these funds to do our jobs. Financially, we are not okay.” A municipal spokesperson indicated on Monday that the payment process was being dealt with, while Mayor Gary van Niekerk said the payment documents for the SPCA were "in progress".
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Candice Bezuidenhout at News24
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