WARNING: This article and accompanied photos may upset sensitive readers.

Repeated warnings that the South African Police Service (SAPS) dog Sky was at risk of injuring herself if she remained confined in a kennel allegedly went unheeded – and months later the Belgian Shepherd was found seriously injured at the police veterinary and kennel facility at Roodeplaat.

MP and Portfolio Committee on Police chairperson Ian Cameron laid criminal charges at Paarl SAPS on Tuesday (8 September) accompanied by Nicholas Gotsell, a member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice.

The case is expected to be transferred to Gauteng police for further investigation.

Speaking exclusively to NovaNews outside Paarl Police Station, Cameron said the complaints relate to alleged neglect and ill-treatment under the Animals Protection Act, including confinement causing unnecessary suffering and failures to provide necessary veterinary attention.

“So, it’s actually about the negligence and the fact that the animal was unnecessarily allowed to suffer,” Cameron said.

He alleged that Sky’s injuries were foreseeable because management had repeatedly been warned about her severe anxiety and history of injuring herself while confined.

“I would go so far as to say it was premeditated. They were warned several times that this was going to happen [if the dog was put in a kennel],” he said.

According to Cameron’s affidavit, Sky was admitted to the police veterinary hospital in March after escaping from a kennel and sustaining injuries. She was later considered unsuitable for operational deployment, while a veterinarian reportedly advised that euthanising an otherwise healthy dog would be unethical.

Arrangements were subsequently considered to remove her from operational service and place her in suitable private care.

Cameron said he saw Sky at Roodeplaat in April and was told she was suffering severely from kennel stress.

“It’s five months later and it’s still not resolved,” he said, adding that Sky was in the process of being boarded out of the police but remained at the facility.

He said Colonel Daleen Corbett, who runs the hospital, and Brigadier Sidney Kekana, responsible for the visible policing component of the facility, had both been warned that Sky was at risk.

On Monday (7 September), Sky was reportedly found seriously injured in her kennel after her left front leg became caught in or against the kennel gate. She suffered multiple fractures and an open fracture and was taken to Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital for emergency treatment.

Cameron has also lodged a complaint with the South African Veterinary Council, calling for an inspection of the facility and questioning its after-hours supervision.

“I asked, among other things, how do they determine that it can be a hospital if they close their doors at 16:00 every day,” he said.

He said the lack of overnight supervision raised questions about whether Sky could have been injured the previous night without receiving assistance.

Cameron has also approached the NSPCA’s Special Projects Unit and intends to refer the matter to IPID and the national commissioner.

He said responsibility at Roodeplaat must also be established. “Kekana is the one who accepts accountability for everything that happens there other than training,” Cameron said, adding that General Chauke is responsible for the human resources command and training-related matters.

Gotsell said Sky’s case formed part of broader concerns about conditions at Roodeplaat.

“A while ago I received information that the dogs’ food had run out and I had to step in from here to make sure and call General Chauke myself,” he said.

He also alleged that there had been occasions when water was unavailable and that members’ food had been a problem.

“It seems to us that the police do not understand the value of a police dog,” Gotsell said.

Cameron questioned whether the police should continue operating its own animal hospital.

“I think we need to start asking the question: can the police be trusted with an animal hospital, should that animal hospital have a right to exist or should it not go directly to Onderstepoort,” he said.

He also called for a skills audit of those responsible for police dogs, saying he believed there were grounds to consider closing the animal hospital.

Cameron’s affidavit stresses that criminal responsibility should not be inferred merely from rank and calls for investigators to establish who knew what, when they knew it and whether their actions or omissions contributed to Sky’s suffering.

He has requested an independent, evidence-based investigation, including examination of CCTV, duty rosters, kennel records, veterinary records and the kennel gate, as well as interviews with personnel responsible for Sky’s care.

He has also asked that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) consider the appropriate charges once the investigation is complete.

Upon enquiry Const Ndakhe Gwala, a spokesperson for the police in the Western Cape, said: “This office confirms that Paarl police opened a case under the Animal protection Act 71 of 1962 (2)(1)(b) and (2)(1)(e). It will be transferred to Kameelsdrift SAPS for further investigation.”

Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, acting National Commissioner of the police, has in the meantime appointed a senior officer to investigate this case.

“SAPS is deeply concerned by Sky’s injury. She is one of our own, having served alongside our members and been entrusted to our care. Her welfare remains a priority, and she is receiving the necessary veterinary care and attention,” reads the police’s statement.

• Sky’s leg has since become infected and will most likely be amputated.