Animal shelter counts cost after two motor crashes on its site in two days

A trucker crashed through a wall at an animal rescue organisation in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Tuesday — a day after its fence was damaged in another vehicle accident.

Its entire operating theatre will need to be rebuilt, the Mdzananda Animal Clinic and Shelter said. A storage room was also flattened and requires urgent reconstruction.

“This is damage of an enormous scale — damage we could never have budgeted or prepared for,” said Marcelle du Plessis, its fundraising and communications executive. “We are devastated, but we are also grateful that no animals or staff were harmed.”

The shelter is requesting financial donations to help pay for the urgent repairs that cannot wait for a pending insurance claim to be finalised.

An assessor is due to visit soon to evaluate the damage from the two crashes and determine what the insurance will cover. However, she said there will likely be additional expenses and it will be too costly for them to cover without community help.

“If we need to rebuild the entire theatre, we are looking at about R350,000, or maybe even more.”

Du Plessis said staff are in contact with the trucker's employer, who had promised to launch an investigation. No formal agreement has yet been reached regarding any potential compensation.

Staff at the shelter, which has operated in Khayelitsha for 29 years, are delivering the best possible care to the animals despite the reduced efficiency, said Du Plessis, who praised their resilience.

“We are calling on the community for support, to stand with us in this time of crisis. Donations and assistance will be vital for helping us rebuild and restore the facilities.”

Payments can be made into the shelter's bank account: Mdzananda Animal Clinic, Nedbank, Current Account, Branch Code: 198765, Acc: 1314465147, Reference: damage + your name.

“Every contribution, no matter the size, will help us recover from this disaster,” Du Plessis said.

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