Despite the unrest across the city due to the taxi strike and many organisations forced to suspend services, the Mdzananda Animal Clinic has kept on helping residents.
The Khayelitsha-based facility, which is located in the heart of the taxi violence, continued its fight for the animals in the community, despite the dangerous circumstances and threats they faced.
The clinic’s General manager Heidi May said that the clinic had to adjust its methods while ensuring staff safety.
“We’ve had to adapt the way we operate significantly over these past few days to ensure that our staff are safe, while still serving our approximately 120 patients, 55 homeless pets and community animals,” May explained.
The clinic serves over 1 500 animals per month through consultations, hospitalisation, and general and orthopaedic surgeries.
The majority of its staff live in Khayelitsha while some stay in and come from Stellenbosch, mostly making use of public transport.
During the unrest period, clinic staff were also threatened on multiple occasions that they would be killed if seen collecting people or animals.
“On Saturday one of our vehicles was targeted by angry taxi drivers and was refused access to an emergency ambulance collection of a dog who had been badly bitten,” May said.
Marcelle du Plessis, fundraising and communications executive for the clinic, explained that the taxi strike has halted most of the facility’s services.
“Usually our vehicles go into the community to collect animals needing sterilisation, but with the road closures and violence, our drivers haven’t been able to go into most areas,” Du Plessis added.
Meanwhile, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA had to suspend some of its services.
Spokesperson Belinda Abraham explained: “The ongoing taxi strike causing major route blockages in and around Cape Town, has impacted directly on our ability to offer services in various communities.”
Services were halted in Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Philippi, Browns Farm, Duinefontein, Dunoon, Blue Downs, Eerste River, Delft and Mfuleni.
“The strike has also resulted in many of our dedicated staff members being unable to reach our Grassy Park base, reducing our operational capacity to 75%” Abraham added.