Last month, the NSPCA won a case of animal cruelty against one of the beneficiaries of a government-funded farm in the Free State Province in South Africa. The case involved the severe neglect and abuse of pigs.
While what happened to the pigs is tragic, this marks a significant victory, particularly for farm animals because they are so often overlooked and subjected to suffering that only a small minority of people care enough to speak about.
Thankfully, NSPCA Inspector Mpho Mokoena, who first began working on this case seven years ago, is one of those people. Through her and the NSPCA’s persistence and dedication to justice, this case was heard and ultimately resulted in a guilty verdict which sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated.
“Winning a case in court is not as simple as the summary in a media statement. It involves us inspectors having to travel to whichever part of the country where an animal is suffering and in need. It requires multiple trips to police stations and multiple trips to and from court whenever the case is being heard. It requires strength, to be able to stand before a court and fight for justice for those who cannot speak for themselves,” National Inspector Mokoena said in a statement. “Most importantly, it requires the support of the public. Without their funding, we as Inspectors cannot do the hard work required to protect animals.”
In 2016, Inspector Mokoena received a complaint that pigs had been abandoned and left to starve on a farm in Brandfort. When she began her investigation, she found the farm abandoned and completely littered with the carcasses of pigs that appeared to have died from starvation. In addition to this, the 16 pigs that were found still alive were emaciated and had begun cannibalizing to try to survive. After obtaining a warrant, the NSPCA returned with the police, and the remaining pigs had to sadly be euthanized.
Shortly after, five beneficiaries of the farm had arrived at the police station to report that their pigs had been euthanized and Inspector Mokoena was able to lay charges of animal cruelty against all five of them.
As the case progressed, the defense attempted to have the case dropped, however, due to Inspector Mokoena’s tireless efforts, the case continued to be prosecuted.
Eventually, the State was forced to drop the charges against four of the five beneficiaries for various reasons. The remaining beneficiary was found guilty of animal cruelty and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment and suspended for four years.
The NSPCA remains committed to the protection of all animals and hopes to continue being able to bring those responsible for animal cruelty to justice.
