Incidents of beggars using animals as props to elicit sympathy and money from animal lovers are spiking in the Table View and Milnerton areas – mainly at busy robots.
Residents took to social media to voice their concerns, some expressing outrage at the beggars using animals while others dig deep into their pockets, showing sympathy.
“This is no different to beggars standing with their children at the robots,” says motorist Penny Gerber.
Earlier this year, beggars using their children as props to ask for money at robots in the areas made headlines. Officials warned motorists not to engage, as cases of theft and assaults have been reported.
Gerber says beggars are using animals now and that the principal remains the same.
“A lot of people see animals as their children and will fork out money to beggars standing with animals. I have to admit, I used to give them money too, but a few years back, a beggar snatched my purse at the robot while I was sitting in my car. Never again,” she says.
Motorists in Table View say there are instances of a woman begging with a dog in Blaauwberg Road, just opposite Bayside Centre and moving towards the MyCiti robots.
“We’ve seen her and another man a couple of times in the Milnerton area, as well at different robots in Koeberg Road. I’m not sure what their motive is, but people seem to show sympathy and give them money,” Gerber says.
The Cape of Goodhope SPCA is urging motorists to stop supporting beggars who use animals as props. Many instances of this nature involve stolen animals – and these dogs, kittens or puppies are usually exploited and not cared for.
The SPCA says they investigated reported incidents. The latest incident involved a man, known to the SPCA and to many Cape Town motorists, who becomes aggressive when refused money.
“He tried to attack our staff in the past when we responded to complaints about animals in his possession,” said Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse.
After receiving reports in the late afternoon in August of a man begging with a puppy at the M5 racecourse off-ramp between Kenwyn and Kenilworth, the SPCA was again called to intervene.
“We’ve been told that this man steals animals to beg. He ran when he saw our inspectors; he knows what he’s doing is illegal. We followed him into Kenwyn and managed to arrest him for obstruction before taking him to Lansdowne Police Station where charges of obstruction in terms of the Animals Protection Act and contraventions of the Animal Keeping by-law were laid against him,” said Pieterse.
- Motorists are urged to report similar incidents to law enforcement on 021 480 7700 or to the SPCA on 021 700 4158/9.
