KARIEGA – The Uitenhage Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will be required to vacate its long-standing premises in Kariega later this month following the expiry of its municipal service agreement and the appointment of a new pound service provider for Nelson Mandela Bay.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality confirmed that the organisation must vacate the municipal property at 1 Schonland Street in phases during March, following the 20 February extension.
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According to municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya, the office and clinic sections must be vacated by 20 March, whilst the full property must be handed over by 31 March to allow the newly appointed service provider to assume responsibility for municipal pound and animal control services across the metro.
Soyaya said the previous Service Level Agreement between the municipality and the SPCA, under which the organisation provided municipal pound and certain animal control services, expired in October 2025.
“In accordance with the legal and governance framework that regulates municipal procurement, the municipality initiated a public procurement process to appoint a service provider to continue delivering these services on behalf of the city,” Soyaya said.
He confirmed that the SPCA had been eligible to participate in the procurement process but chose not to submit a bid. Following the completion of the process, another provider was appointed to perform the municipal pound function.
The property the SPCA currently occupies is owned by the municipality and its use by the organisation was historically linked to the now-expired agreement.
“With the expiry of that agreement, the municipality is required to facilitate the transition of the facility so that the newly appointed service provider can begin fulfilling its contractual responsibilities,” Soyaya said.
He added that the municipality was aware of strong public interest surrounding the development and acknowledged the important role animal welfare organisations and volunteers play in protecting vulnerable animals.
“Animal welfare is an issue that many residents care deeply about, and the municipality recognises the important role played by volunteers, community members and organisations who dedicate themselves to protecting vulnerable animals,” he said.
Soyaya emphasised that animal welfare services would continue in the metro under the newly appointed provider, which has been mandated to perform municipal pound services and related animal control functions.
The new municipal pound service provider is a company called Busy Bee, which was appointed earlier this year to collect and house stray and surrendered animals from Gqeberha, Kariega, Despatch and surrounding areas.
Despite losing the municipal contract, SPCA Uitenhage said it remains fully operational as an independent animal welfare organisation.
The organisation clarified that it has not closed and continues to care for animals in need, including rescue, rehabilitation and adoptions.
In a statement, the SPCA said it had taken in just under 800 animals in the past two months alone, despite losing nearly half of its kennels after the municipal contract changed hands.
The organisation has also reportedly allowed Busy Bee to temporarily use its boarding cattery to house stray cats.
SPCA Uitenhage chairperson Deirdré Swift said the organisation’s staff continue to work under difficult conditions.
Many of our staff are operating under very difficult circumstances, working from temporary steel containers with limited infrastructure. Yet their dedication to the animals never wavers.
She added that the organisation was currently running a public fundraising campaign to secure its future and find new premises.
Whilst the SPCA has identified a potential relocation site, Swift said details cannot yet be made public as the property is privately owned and legal processes are still underway.
“We will share publicly as soon as we are legally permitted to do so,” she said.
Swift expressed confidence that the fundraising campaign, which is aiming to raise R2.7 million, would succeed thanks to strong community support.
“Failure is not an option,” she stated.
Swift also confirmed that the organisation would not be in a position to provide municipal pound services in Nelson Mandela Bay region again in the future.
Despite the challenges, she thanked residents and supporters for rallying behind the organisation.
“There are absolutely no words that could adequately thank or describe our immense gratitude to everyone who has rallied in support of our SPCA,” Swift said.
“Without them, our hopes of keeping our doors open would have been shattered,” she concluded.
