Bethal SPCA recently held their Annual General Meeting (AGM).
A new committee was elected. Rina Naude will now be leading the committee with Marie van der Merwe stepping down as chairperson.
The meeting was held in good spirit and issues such as Finances, Food and the future of the SPCA (Bethal) were discussed. The Bethal SPCA are under tremendous pressure to try and keep operating.
Follow the Bethal SPCA Facebook page HERE
“Bethal SPCA has been in operation for over 25 years, serving the communities of Bethal, eMzoneni and Davel. Presently, we are also servicing Kriel, Standerton and as far afield as Ermelo. We have been in operation with no support from local government (Govan Mbeki municipality) and a little support from the local community.” Said Barbara Mitton, vice-chairperson at Bethal SPCA, “We are now in imminent danger of closing our doors due to lack of funds. There is no other animal welfare organisation operating in said areas and therefore it is vital to keep our doors open.”
“Municipalities are legally obligated to provide the community with a sustainable animal pound, to provide a safe environment for stray animals. However, we do not receive any funding for tirelessly providing this service and the municipality has failed to pay for these services,” she said.
Bethal SPCA has a small management committee that works hard at trying to raise funds, however, in these economic times, it is very difficult to sustain the service they provide for the community. “We are an essential service, attending to emergencies, cruelty complaints, routine facility inspections, collection of strays and unwanted animals as well as holding regular Outreach clinics, educating the public, arranging sterilisation and vaccination drives,” said Barbara, “If we no longer exist, what is going to happen to all of these functions, not to mention the abandoned, lost and abused animals?”
The running costs for Bethal SPCA are currently at R40 – R50000 per month. With 4 full-time staff and one part-time staff member, it is difficult to keep the SPCA afloat.
“Our staff are loyal, overworked, passionate and we cannot afford to lose them,” said Barbara when she spoke to The Bulletin, “We are grateful to the community that generously donate dog and cat food as well as diesel for our vehicles but to make Bethal SPCA sustainable, financial support is needed urgently. Please consider donating to our bank account or contact us regarding ways to help us.”
Also read: Visser Flats in Trichardt finally Get a Roof
We at The Bulletin can attest to the hard work that this SPCA is doing. Please support them financially as well. Here are the banking details:
Banking details:
- Acc name: SPCA Bethal
- Acc number: 03 103 325 3
- Type of acc: Current/cheque Bank:
- STANDARD bank
- Branch code: 05 25 44
The animals depend on YOU to keep the SPCA operational.
Fundraising has become their biggest source of income Lotto made donations in the past but is closed due to the lockdown and are not accepting any new applications currently.
Barbara explained to The Bulletin regarding ways that one can contribute, “We have an active Adopt a Kennel program in place and any donations can generate an 18a tax receipt.”
Regular donations are desperately needed. Big fundraising events are mostly cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Fundraising should also be expanded to areas of operation such as Ermelo, Standerton and Kriel.
The past year saw several groups extending a hand to Bethal SPCA to help with the maintenance of the kennels. The walls have also been painted with beautiful murals during the past year, all in SPCA blue. Recently Lizma Swanepoel slept in the cages to raise awareness and funds for Bethal SPCA. Just over R5000 were collected for her effort.
The Bulletin would like to challenge businesses from all over GMM as well as Kriel, Standerton and Ermelo to consider monthly contributions to Bethal SPCA. Make a commitment for a year and make a difference in the lives of countless animals.
We, at The Bulletin, will compile an advert for the Bethal SPCA, on a monthly basis, that will contain info on every long-term commitment of R500 or more. Please contact us at 0664867141 or encee@thebulletin.co.za for more info on this.
“A big thank you to the public for all their contributions the past few years that assisted us to be able to continue our work. Without contributions from them, Bethal SPCA would not be able to exist. Everything depends on the availability of financial funds which are needed for salaries, fuel, maintenance of vehicles and our building, veterinarian costs, water & lights, telephone etc. to cover daily expenses.” Said Marie van der Merwe, outgoing Chairperson, in her Chairpersons report, “With the Covid virus it was impossible to host big fundraising events, even though we regularly held sales of boerewors rolls, hamburgers and sosaties, it was as the saying goes – only a penny in the jar.”
The Bulletin also observed the lack of interest from the public in attending the AGM. Please support the Bethal SPCA.
Let us all stand together and help the Bethal SPCA with funds to continue serving the community.
