NSPCA Wins Landmark Animal Cruelty Case Against Pietermaritzburg Pit Bull Breeder

• The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has won a landmark animal cruelty case after a four-year legal battle against a pit bull breeder
• Inspectors discovered 17 dogs confined in filthy cages with untreated wounds in Pietermaritzburg in 2022, with two requiring urgent veterinary care, leading to criminal charges
• The breeder received a suspended sentence and criminal record, while a second cruelty case remains before the courts

PIETERMARITZBURG- The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has secured a landmark victory after a four-year legal battle against a Pietermaritzburg pit bull breeder convicted of animal cruelty.

The case dates back to 2022, when inspectors responded to a complaint in Pietermaritzburg. According to East Coast Radio, Chief Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy said authorities discovered 17 pit bulls confined in filthy cages, surrounded by accumulated faeces and suffering from multiple untreated wounds.

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Two of the dogs required urgent veterinary care. A warning was issued, and criminal charges were laid.

The sentences

The breeder, Amod Sheikh, was found guilty of animal cruelty and sentenced to a R3,000 fine or three months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years. Although the NSPCA described the sentence as less severe than hoped, it welcomed the criminal record and confirmed the accused no longer has animals in his possession.

A second cruelty case involving dogs allegedly left on the same property is still before the courts. The NSPCA says the conviction should serve as a warning to offenders and strengthen calls for the public to adopt pets rather than buy them from breeders.

Activist urges responsible pitbull ownership

This case is a landmark ruling considering the negative perception of pitbulls stemming from very traumatic incidents all over South Africa. Recent attacks on people and subsequent media coverage have intensified public debate, but Jack maintains that many dogs are wrongly identified as pit bulls and that aggression often arises from poor handling rather than breed alone.

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Durban animal activist Nicole Jack, founder of non-profit SerendiPitty Rescue, argues that widespread fear of pit bulls in South Africa stems more from misinformation and mislabelling than from the dogs’ behaviour, and she emphasises responsible ownership and education as key to reducing incidents. She works to rehabilitate neglected animals while advocating for competence among owners and against stigma that she says unfairly paints powerful breeds as inherently dangerous.

Three Briefly News articles on pitbulls

A mother and her teenage daughter were injured when two pit bulls unexpectedly attacked them while they were walking their own dogs. In Durban’s Manor Gardens, Paramedics treated both victims for bite wounds to their lower limbs before transporting them to the hospital for further care, and the dogs were not on the scene when emergency services arrived. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, but details about the dogs’ ownership or how the incident began remain unclear.

A pit bull in Gqeberha escaped through a broken gate while its owner was out of town and mauled a three‑year‑old girl playing nearby, fatally injuring her. Police opened an inquest into the incident as residents and authorities urged stricter control of dogs and secured properties to prevent similar tragedies. A neighbour reportedly tried to intervene as the child was being attacked, but she succumbed to her injuries at the scene.

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Are pitbulls really the problem? Activist urges focus on responsible ownership

Briefly News also reported that a 66‑year‑old man in Durbanville died after intervening when two pit bulls that had escaped from a neighbour’s property attacked his small dogs and then him. The terriers reportedly broke out of their enclosure, forced open a gate and mauled him, with police opening an inquest into the incident. The dogs were taken into custody by animal control as authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal attack.

Source: Briefly News