Police of Cape Town township disinterested in investigating serial cat killer despite good evidence

NEWS AND VIEWS - Manenberg, Cape Town, South Africa: Manenberg is a township of Cape Town, South Africa. It was created by the apartheid government for low-income coloured families in 1966. The population is an estimated 52,000.

Manenberg, Cape Town, South Africa. Image in the public domain.

The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa say that there is substantive and weighty evidence to prove that an unnamed suspect or suspects has been involved in the brutal killing of at least 26 cats in a serial cat killing spree. 

But the Manenberg police refuse to even open a file on the case. They simply refuse to investigate it. The person or persons slit the cats from head to tail and tossed them into people's yards. I'm sorry that I had to describe that.

The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa said: 

"We suspect there's more than one individual involved. Our investigation is ongoing. There is a fairly substantial lead we are following up on. It involves a young man from the area with a history of brutality towards cats."

Please call: the Animal Welfare Society of SA on 021 692 2626 or 082 601 1761 if you can assist.

Comment: does this shed some light on the attitude of law enforcement in South Africa on cruelty to cats and other animals? I think it does and it is in line with a poor attitude towards cat welfare in respect of lions, for instance. They abuse lions in South Africa by breeding them for canned lion hunts and by selling lion body parts to China where the bones are turned into bone wine et cetera. It is quite disgusting the whole thing and there's no doubt in my mind that animal welfare is very low priority in South Africa.

The story is in contrast I'd say to the UK's 'Brighton Cat Killer' saga which has recently come to a conclusion with the arrest, prosecution and jailing of the madman who stabbed 16 indoor/outdoor cats, killing 9 and severely injuring the remaining seven. His name is Steve Bouquet and he is all over the news media. 

He got more than five years in jail for criminal damage because under criminal damage it is possible to apply a more severe sentence than under animal welfare laws in the UK. It is just a way the law is drafted. 

But, yes, the British police eventually caught the bastard although it took them a very long time and to be perfectly honest the police in Britain are not that interested in animal welfare either. But at least they did something whereas in South Africa the police are terminally switched off with respect to catching the perpetrators of animal cruelty.

There is a worldwide issue with law enforcement lacking sufficient will and commitment in investigating animal abuse criminal cases. It indicates a red-necked attitude. A right-wing male attitude in line with a love of firearms and sport hunting. I am stereotyping but I feel the stereotype is reasonably accurate.