The Democratic Alliance (DA) has escalated the fight against the severe stray animal crisis in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality (IYLM) to the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, as the crisis poses a significant threat to human lives, contributing to numerous road fatalities.
The IYLM, which includes the towns of Nxuba (formerly Cradock) and Middelburg, is severely under-resourced, with only one municipal pound serving a vast area.
Compounding this issue is the alarming lack of budget allocation to maintain this critical facility, which has rendered it non-operational.
I have written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Williams, to stress that this dire situation demands immediate intervention to prevent further loss of life and mitigate the suffering of both humans and animals.
The Impound of Animals By-Law explicitly prohibits animals from grazing or straying on streets, yet the municipality has failed to allocate the necessary resources to enforce this law.
With only one pound assistant serving both Nxuba and Middelburg, and just four traffic officers covering the vast area, the local community is left to manage the crisis without municipal support or guidance.
The municipality’s failure to take action has worsened the problem, posing serious risks to both community safety and local farmers.
Local farmers are often forced to deal with stray animals, sometimes encountering dangerous or aggressive animals on public roads. Despite this, they receive no support from the municipality in relocating the animals to secure locations or properly managing them. With many animal owners unidentified due to the lack of branding or tattoos, there is little accountability for the wandering animals.
The consequences of IYLM’s failures are undeniable: no functional pound, inadequate funding, insufficient vehicles, and a shortage of manpower and animal feed.
The DA will not rest until the MEC intervenes and directs the municipality to prioritise allocating the necessary budget for a fully functional animal pound, as this is crucial for ensuring the safety of road users, residents, and animals.