Two curious dogs inspect a visitor who stopped at their kennels in January 2026. (Photo: Deon Ferreira) The new management at the Nelson Mandela Bay municipal pound will have to step up its game and provide better care for stray animals housed at its facility in Kariega after concerns over its operations landed it in court this week.
Concerns were raised almost immediately after new service provider Busy Bees took over from the SPCA, which had been running the pound for more than 50 years.
In accordance with the court order, handed down in the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha on Wednesday, the municipality will also be expected to help the newly appointed service provider with veterinary services for the animals, until they can appoint their own experts in the field.
This comes after the Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) in Nelson Mandela Bay reported a series of shortcomings in the care provided for animals at the municipal pound in recent weeks, after Busy Bees took over facility operations in January 2026.
A shortage of animal handling equipment and expertise, inadequate resources for impounding stray livestock and a lack of veterinary services were among the list of complaints the AACL had raised since February, following inspections at the facility in Kariega.
They approached the court for an interdict that would prevent Busy Bees from operating the pound, and that would allow operations to revert to the previous service provider, the SPCA. The application further stated that Busy Bees could resume operations once it had brought its operations in line with animal welfare legislation.
/file/attachments/orphans/DSC_3017copy_879035.jpg "SPCA staffer Tamzyn Degoumois gives some attention to a dog at the Kariega facility in January 2026. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
The application was brought against Busy Bees, the municipality, the acting city manager and the acting executive director of public health, whose directorate is responsible for the handling of stray animals in the city.
In its court papers, AACL also questioned the process through which Busy Bees was appointed as the service provider, taking over operations from the SPCA, which had run the pound for close to 50 years.
In an affidavit before the court, AACL animal inspector Beverley Rademeyer said complaints about the facilities at the pound had been received in February. The AACL subsequently conducted its own visit, accompanied by officials from the NSPCA, an animal behaviourist and, at times, the police for help in executing legally obtained warrants to conduct inspections.
She said they found, among many other concerns, several instances where animals were not provided with adequate bedding and slept on cement floors, were kept in overcrowded enclosures and enclosures that were not properly cleaned, and were provided with food unsuitable for their age or size.
The AACL was also denied access to the pound’s records, leading inspectors to believe that there were administrative shortcomings and a lack of proper record-keeping.
In response to the court application, acting city manager Tabiso Mfeya said that while the AACL might have the power to impose certain aspects of the Animal Protection Act, it had no authority to seek the removal of Busy Bees as a service provider.
/file/attachments/orphans/DSC_6911copy_877108.jpg "Deidre Swift of the Kariega SPCA. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
He also argued that there had been no irregularities in the appointment of Busy Bees to operate the pound. He said the SPCA’s contract expired in October 2025, creating an “immediate service delivery vacuum”. A tender process was conducted in December, wherein Busy Bees was the only applicant.
The facility in Kariega is currently divided, one half operating as the pound under the management of Busy Bees and the other still occupied by the SPCA, its staff, equipment and vehicles.
Mfeya said the agreement was that the SPCA vacated the premises, which belonged to the municipality, at the end of March, but had made no effort to vacate the facility.
The matter was originally set down for argument before Judge Vuyokazi Noncembu on Tuesday, but due to a congested court roll it was postponed until Wednesday.
The much-anticipated showdown between the two legal teams was avoided when the parties managed to settle the matter in chambers.
In terms of the settlement, Noncembu ordered that Busy Bees comply with the following instructions concerning the facilities:
- Animals must be provided with clean water twice a day;
- Food appropriate to the animals’ age, condition and species must be provided;
- Enclosures must be cleaned and disinfected twice a day;
- Adequate litter boxes will be provided in the cattery and cleaned at least once a day; and
- Animals will be provided with adequate bedding.
The order also stipulated that the municipality assist Busy Bees with properly trained staff and veterinary services until it can appoint its own.
AACL will also be allowed to conduct regular inspections of the facility, with reasonable notice to Busy Bees and the municipality.
It was also ordered that the State Veterinarian’s office appoint a “facilitator” to monitor operations at the pound, and act as an intermediary between the service provider and the AACL should future issues arise around the operations of the facility.
Where does this leave the SPCA?
Chairperson for the SPCA in the Uitenhage district, Deirdre Swift, said they had not been involved in the matter before court, so could neither comment on the proceedings nor the subsequent order.
However, concerning the occupation of the municipal property, she said their attorneys were in communication with the municipality’s legal team about their stay next to the municipal pound.
/file/attachments/orphans/DSC_2915copy_277221.jpg "The SPCA in Kariega and its animals will soon be moving to a new home. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
“We have already acquired a new piece of land on the outskirts of Kariega, and we will vacate the current premises as soon as we have all the necessary permissions to move into our new home.
“The new property is zoned for agricultural use, but before we can occupy it, we require special consent from the municipality to operate an animal shelter. This process is already under way and our applications have already been submitted. Once that is finalised, we will vacate the pound and move to our new premises.”
In the meantime, Swift said operations continued as normal. DM