CAPE TOWN - A man who uses dogs to beg for money at an intersection in the Cape Town CBD -- and allegedly attacked a Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) SPCA inspector and senior City official at the weekend -- has been released on a warning.
The CoGH SPCA said Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse received several complaints about repeat offender Selwyn Taylor, who is usually found on the corner of Buitengracht Road and Walter Sisulu Avenue intersection, near the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Taylor, who has been caught standing in the blazing sun with no water or shelter, has had his dogs removed by the SPCA on a previous occasion.
On Sunday, he appeared again with a Labrador cross-breed puppy.
When approached by Pieterse and urban mobility mayco member Rob Quintas, who attempted to take the dog from him, Taylor allegedly assaulted them.
"It was a surreal experience, having left the house in the hope of rescuing other animals, and then finding myself in between a scuffle and being assaulted by a repeat offender who uses puppies as begging props, in the middle of one of Cape Town’s busiest intersections," said Quintas.
"I was not prepared, under any circumstance, to let the puppy go, and I have no remorse for having received a few punches and elbow blows in the process," he said.
A City of Cape Town traffic service vehicle witnessed the incident and Taylor was arrested.
He appeared in court on Tuesday, and was released on warning.
Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said: "A 33-year-old male was arrested on Sunday by a SPCA official, under the Animal Cruelty Act, as well as for common assault, after he allegedly attacked the official for taking his dogs from him. He appeared at the Cape Town Magistrate’s court on Tuesday on the said charges, and was released on a warning."
The puppy, now named Walter, is in the care of the SPCA and will soon be available for adoption.
"It is an offence in terms of the animal-keeping by-law to make use of an animal for begging or financial gain, or to sell any animal in a public road or public space," said CoGH spokesperson Belinda Abraham.
For more information, call 021 700 4152 or email: [email protected]
Cape Times