Sara-Jayne Makwala King interviews Jaco Pieterse, Chief Inspector of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, and Head Veterinarian Dr Rivona Ramnanan.

Huge debate was sparked when it was announced earlier this month that the V&A Waterfront would be bringing back their New Years fireworks display.

Knowing the distress this causes both pets and wild animals, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA expressed its disappointment, joined by the Mother City’s animal-loving public.

But the initial confusion around the permit granted to the V&A is apparently still not resolved.

Sara-Jayne Makwala King gets an update from Jaco Pieterse, Chief Inspector at the Cape SPCA.

RELATED: Outrage as V&A Waterfront’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display set to go ahead

Initially the City had said it doesn’t have the authority to issue a permit for a fireworks display, as it’s the South African Police Service (SAPS) that would issue such a permit Pieterse says.

He adds that Alderman JP Smith went public to state that CoCT had NOT issued a permit.

The SPCA then approached the City after learning that its events department along with the environmental health department had issued and exemption noise pollution permit for the V&A event to continue.

“There had been no public consultation… and the City is supposed to consult with interested and affected parties, so the SPCA wrote to the City to raise our concerns.”

In the latest development Pieterse says, the SPCA’s been informed by Smith that the permit has subsequently been withdrawn by the City which means the fireworks display CANNOT proceed.

He emphasizes however, that at this point they don’t have this in writing.

Unfortunately if we don’t have anything in writing we can’t say for a fact… We just had another event now we were monitoring and the City’s head of events actually accused the SPCA of bullying the City because we wanted to know if there was a permit in place for the event.

Jaco Pieterse, Chief Inspector – Cape of Good Hope SPCA

It makes it very difficult for us when we’re being accused of bullying when our only concern is for the law of the land to be upheld and for animals to be protected.

Jaco Pieterse, Chief Inspector – Cape of Good Hope SPCA

He reiterates that fireworks have a detrimental effect on all animals, whether domestic or wild, due to their acute sense of hearing.

They try and escape any route that they can – you’ll find dogs jumping through windows, over palisades getting impaled… birds will fly into electric cables, into buildings trying to escape these loud noises… It’s always the animal
welfare organisations and the SPCA that have to clean up the mess afterwards and have to rescue all these suffering and dying animals…

Jaco Pieterse, Chief Inspector – Cape of Good Hope SPCA

Pieterse urges the public to report any instances of fireworks being set off – it’s likely to be illegal because you need a permit to do it.

The number to call is the City’s emergency call centre at 021 480 7700.

Of course it’s not only fireworks that cause distress for pets over the festive season – think of changes like visitors staying in your home, loud parties, road trips and more.

When it comes to ‘strangers’ in your home, Head Veterinarian Dr Rivona Ramnanan has some tips on making this experience less stressful for your beloved furries.

If you’re having a party or something like that it’s very important to introduce your pets to people coming into your home in a very calm manner. You should ensure that that they have a safe space to relax should they want to get
away from people. It’s also important to ensure that human food, drink and decorations are out of your pets’ reach.

Dr Rivona Ramnanan, Head Veterinarian – Cape of Good Hope SPCA

And every now and then, check in with your pets. Reward them for good behaviour and assure them that you are there for them to reduce stress and keep them calm.

Dr Rivona Ramnanan, Head Veterinarian – Cape of Good Hope SPCA

Scroll up to listen to Dr Ramnanan’s tips to make the holiday less stressful for your pets

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Will V&A Waterfront fireworks go ahead? Permit still in dispute says SPCA