More shocking animal abuse horrors at Gupta-linked Vrede dairy farm

The farm was established in 2012 by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Dard) to empower black farmers with the knowledge and skills of operating a successful dairy farming enterprise.

Instead, third-party ‘implementing agents’ were awarded large contracts by the Free State during Ace Magashule’s tenure. This saw between R250-million and R340-million siphoned out of the local empowerment programme into the bank accounts of Gupta-owned companies and their associates.

With the trial in progress, the Free State government announced in January 2022 that the 2,904-hectare farm would be handed over to 65 community beneficiaries in line with a high court order issued two years before. It consisted of 583 dairy animals, nine horses, 10 tractors and milking equipment.

The handover was in line with Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s recommendations in December 2020, after a report into allegations of maladministration in the Free State Department of Agriculture’s Vrede Integrated Dairy Project in 2017/18.

But now the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has received information that the dairy cows were being left without food, water or veterinary care. What they found when they visited the farm was disturbing. Four cows were so emaciated they could not move. None had received the urgent veterinary attention required.

Inspectors instructed the staff to urgently contact an emergency vet.

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“Shockingly, instead of contacting a commercial vet, the farm chose to try and contact a state veterinarian, knowing full well that state veterinarians do not work over weekends. It is questionable as to why a privately run dairy farm would depend on the services of a state veterinarian.” As a result, the NSPCA had to euthanise all four cows to prevent further suffering.

Shortly after this, the NSPCA conducted a follow-up inspection and were horrified to find even more animal cruelty. One of the cows was found suffering from an untreated eye infection and had maggots eating away at her eyeball. Two more cows had to be euthanized to prevent further suffering. One was found struggling to breathe and hadn’t been able to move for three days. The other had a broken leg that hadn’t healed properly. Neither of the three cows had received any recent veterinary attention.

The inspectors also found calves suffering from diarrhoea. They were without sufficient access to drinking water and feed and were being kept in dirty living conditions.

When Our Burning Planet contacted the farm manager, Ephraim Dhlamini, he said he could not comment. Communications officer for the Free State Department of Agriculture Zee Mbewu, said the department had heard about the NSPCA visit but were only in an “assistance-where-necessary” relationship with the farmers after the handover and the department’s head, Dr TJ Masiteng, would be calling a meeting shortly to assess the situation.

“It is baffling,” said NSPCA in a statement, “how a project that is allegedly worth tens of millions of rands has failed, on multiple occasions, to provide these basic needs for their animals.

“These are the same animals that farmers expect to help them make a profit at the end of the day. Had the NSPCA not investigated, it is likely that the farm could have let the animals suffer slow and painful deaths. 

The NSPCA will be laying criminal charges of animal cruelty in terms of the Animals Protection Act. The animals that remain on the farm will continue to be monitored. DM/OBP