Cape SPCA warns: sterilisation the only way to stop collapse of animal welfare sector

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA says South Africa’s animal welfare sector is at breaking point, and only large-scale prevention, particularly sterilisation, can stop it from collapsing.

The SPCA sheltered 23 584 stray and unwanted animals last year, treated more than 54 800 patients, and investigated nearly 11 000 cruelty cases. But for every animal adopted, thirty more arrived.

“You cannot adopt your way out of a breeding crisis,” said Moyo Ndukwana, the SPCA’s chief executive.

“For every animal we rescue, more are born into neglect. It is like trying to empty a dam with a teaspoon while the water keeps rising.”

The organisation’s “prevention first” approach is already showing results. Its teams carried out 6 307 sterilisations in the past financial year, a 13% increase on the year before, which led to a 12% drop in stray and unwanted animals entering its care.

Chief financial officer Faizel Gordon said sterilisation is the most effective way to break the cycle. “It reduces tomorrow’s costs while saving tomorrow’s lives. It is the smartest, most humane use of donor funds and the only path to long-term sustainability,” he said.

Despite this progress, the SPCA still closed its books with a deficit of just over R3 million for the second year in a row.

Communications manager Belinda Abraham confirmed that while the organisation remains a going concern with reserves and assets to continue operating, the demand for services far exceeds its resources.

“The SPCA is a pillar for the welfare sector,” she said.

“Our hospital provides sterilisation services at welfare rates to private rescuers and other organisations, our inspectorate advises on cruelty investigations, and our pound accepts unwanted animals not only from the public but also from groups at capacity.”

The numbers reflect a sector already stretched to its limit.

In the past financial year, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA admitted 18 132 stray and unwanted cats and dogs.

“That number is extraordinary,” Ms Abraham said.

“Every occupied kennel and cattery space is a reminder that we are already operating at the very edge of capacity. We are already living the tipping point.”

She added that the pressure is particularly severe in under-resourced communities, where sterilisation rates are lowest and access to veterinary care is limited.

Without high-volume sterilisation across all areas, she warned, the flow of animals into care will continue to rise.

The SPCA does not turn any animal away and is Cape Town’s only open-admission shelter.

But Ms Abraham admitted that euthanasia remains a daily, unavoidable and painful reality.

“Until overpopulation is addressed, there is no way we can rehome every single animal coming through our doors,” she said.

“To deny this would compromise animal welfare and the safety of the very animals we exist to protect.”

The SPCA is now calling on government and municipalities to fund mass sterilisation and strengthen enforcement of animal welfare laws.

It wants corporates and philanthropists to focus on prevention, and for animal organisations to operate responsibly within their capacity.

“The hardest responsibility falls on the SPCA - taking in animals who cannot be rehomed and making compassionate but difficult decisions,” she said.

“For the sector to survive, responsibility must be shared.”

The public, too, has a role to play. Ms Abraham urged pet owners to sterilise their animals, adopt responsibly and support welfare financially.