By Karabo Matalajoe
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Makhanda faces an expected electricity cut-off over a disputed municipal debt. The development threatens the welfare of animals under their care and sheds light on deeper governance failures within the Makana Municipality.
The municipality recently intensified debt collection efforts over its mounting arrears to Eskom, and the ongoing financial strain has prompted Eskom to consider daily 14-hour power cuts in Makhanda. This move would severely disrupt residents and essential services such as the SPCA.
On 22 March 2025, the SPCA received a letter from the Makana Municipality demanding payment of R448 000, which includes accrued interest. The municipality mentioned that electricity services would be disconnected if the SPCA did not settle the amount by 21 March. In a detailed letter of response, the SPCA challenged the legitimacy of the debt, referencing historical context, contractual disputes, and unpaid municipal obligations.
“The SPCA continued and continues to run the small animal pound and provide emergency animal services to the community, without any compensation from the municipality,” the letter reads.
The conflict between the two goes back to an earlier agreement whereby the SPCA operated both the large and small animal pounds on behalf of the municipality. The municipality’s repeated non-payment and threats to the staff led to the closure of the large animal pound. Despite this, the SPCA continued offering small animal and emergency services to the community. However, the municipality never settled the R130 000 debt incurred over the period, an amount which now is argued to offset the R448 000 claim by the SPCA.
The organisation has furthermore made efforts to comply with governance and billing practices since a new management committee was appointed in 2021; this includes submitting monthly water meter reports, paying current municipal billings, and solely relying on donations and fundraising to cover operational costs of an R150 000 per month estimate. This also includes non-use of municipal water but sourcing theirs from a borehole funded by Gift of the Givers due to past service delivery failures.
“The SPCA does not use municipal water… as the water supply is unreliable and water is essential for housing animals and maintaining hygienic conditions,” the organisation stated.
The threatened disconnection of electricity could forever shut down vital services, cause consequences for the staff employed by the organisation, and disturb services offered to the community. To reach a solution, the SPCA submitted a memorandum of agreement to the municipality, seeking a formal agreement to protect them against future cut-offs from debts. This commits them to regular payments of current services while proposing a mutual idea to write off all historical debts as a way to reconcile.
“We appeal to the municipality to write off the ‘debt’ on their books, and the SPCA Grahamstown will cancel any historical debt owed by the municipality,” the letter concludes.
The SPCA’s plea arrives when public frustration with Makana’s service delivery is already high. The South African Human Rights Commission recently subpoenaed municipal leaders to account for widespread failures, including water shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and unreliable refuse collection.
As the SPCA waits for the municipality’s response, residents, stakeholders, and animal welfare supporters are advocating behind the SPCA, calling for compassion, transparency, and a solution that places the needs of the community and its animals above bureaucratic constraints.
