Durban - Animal rescue feeder Sandile Bele has received R5 000 from an Independent on Saturday reader after a story about his debts and transport woes appeared in a recent issue of the Independent on Saturday.
Looters decimated his supply of animal feed during the July riots, leaving him with no stock but a mountain of debt for the food for which he had not yet paid.
Now, another cat lover, who helps feed a colony of feral, sterilised felines at her place of work and who has been a beneficiary of Bele’s discounted cat food has offered to match the R5 000 donation made by Verulam accountant, Prem Govender.
“I’m happy to donate money to Sandile, but more important is that he needs reliable transport to deliver his food to the animal rescue groups he supplies. I would very much like to see a car dealership sponsor a bakkie to help Sandile,” said Glenwood resident Lynn Lister. “It’s that time of year when dealerships get rid of old stock to make way for new vehicles, and I’m sure it can be used as a tax write-off. Even a second-hand one would do,” she said.
Govender said she found it heart-warming to see people in a community with so little themselves reaching out to animals.
“These are the kind of people we should be supporting and encouraging.
“For me, the biggest thing is to keep animals off the streets and curtail pregnancies through sterilisation, and then feeding them. These are the two things I concentrate on.”
Bele said he had given Govender the banking details of the people to whom he owed money for the looted pet food rather than his own account details, and that he now owed R17 571.
He said he was also arranging a Christmas party for poverty-stricken children in Bellingham, among them those of rescue workers.
“Many of them don’t even know their birthdays. It’s just to encourage them.”
Anyone who can help Bele with donations or transport can contact him on 081 573 5111.
The Independent on Saturday