THE cash-strapped Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Uitenhage received a R10000 donation yesterday – the first donation of that scale it has received in years.
In addition, the donors, the developers behind the Baywest Mall, urged other businesses to match – or better – their donation.
Baywest managing director Gavin Blows said they decided to donate the cash after reading about the SPCA's desperate situation in the Herald yesterday.
He said businesses needed to take care of their communities.
"The developers of Baywest, Abacus Asset Management and Billion Group, are both very community-minded when it comes to their projects around the country. Serving our communities includes helping care for the pets that bring us joy," he said.
Uitenhage SPCA manager Koos Croucamp said he was overwhelmed by the donation.
"It's our biggest donation for many years. There's always a need for funding. It's fantastic to get donations like this from a Port Elizabeth-based entity, because we get next to nothing from businesses in Uitenhage."
He said the centre cared for up to 200 animals, including dogs, cats, donkeys, cattle and geese.
"Our bill for petrol alone each month is about R15000. Our overall monthly expenses come to over R50000 and we are wholly reliant on donations from businesses and the public," he said.
The centre employs 10 full-time staff and has three bakkies for call-outs as far afield as Steytlerville, about 180km inland.
The centre also answers many calls from Port Elizabeth.
Croucamp said many people did not realise that their donations were tax deductible. "For every R100 donation we issue a tax deduction receipt," he said.
The Baywest donation will go towards the centre's petrol account and cellphone bill for the emergency after-hours contact number.
For parties interested in making a donation, the centre's Nedbank account details are: Acc name: SPCA Uitenhage, Acc number: 2004534192, Acc type: Savings, Branch code: 127-716 or contact Elinda Tonnesen on 084-565-3039 -