At the end of last year we, the Two Oceans Aquarium, were alerted to the existence of the Mdzananda Animal Clinic, which is based in Khayelitsha, and we have decided to “adopt” this organisation and assist them where we can.

The following article was written by Helen Bamford and was published in the Cape Argus on 26 September 2016. 

Twenty years ago Khayelitsha resident Joe Mancu decided the pets in the sprawling impoverished township needed some help. So he got hold of a trolley and a bucket and started going around washing and feeding those that needed it. The initiative grew into the Mdzananda Animal Clinic which now treats around 1000 pets every month through consultations, hospitalisation, general and specialised surgery and mobile clinics for sick and injured animals, primarily dogs and cats.

But their 20th anniversary celebrations have been somewhat bittersweet because they have heard one of their main, long standing donors has been forced to reduce annual funding by 20 percent this year due to the economy.

Marcelle du Plessis, fundraising and communications manager for Mdzananda, said this represented a loss of more than R600 000 for this year. “And they will continue deducting 20 percent each year until 2020 when funding will stop for good.” She said most of their clients did not earn enough to pay their low cost fees and could not afford private vets. Many didn’t even have transport and walked long distances, often wheeling their pets in prams or shopping trolleys to the clinic.

Lazola Sotyingwa has been with Mdzananda since it opened and used to help Mancu on his “rounds” back in the early days. Now an animal welfare assistant Sotyingwa says the clinic was like a second home to him. He added he hoped in the future to see the clinic housed in a proper building. “Currently all our facilities (except our theatre) are temporary structures. I want to know that Mdzananda will not disappear and a fixed structure will ensure that.” Sotyingwa said many projects in the community that had closed down were the ones in container buildings. “I hope that we can find a new funder to replace the large funder that we are currently losing.”

Du Plessis said they were encouraging people to sign up to their Paw Membership programme with a monthly donation from as little as R25 a month. “If just 700 people sign up and donate R100 per month we will cover the deficit for this financial year.”

For more details or to sign up, contact info@mdzananda.co.za or visit http://www.mdzananda.co.za/.