South African Police Service officials face animal cruelty charges

The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) is preparing to lay animal cruelty charges against South African Police Service (SAPS) officials following the death of Sky, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois arson detection dog.

Sky was found severely injured in her kennel at the SAPS Veterinary Hospital in Roodeplaat, Pretoria, on September 7, 2026. She had suffered a broken leg, an open fracture, and lost teeth. Despite receiving emergency treatment at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, she was humanely euthanised on September 9 after her condition deteriorated.

The NSPCA’s Special Projects Unit conducted an investigation involving facility inspections and reviews of veterinary records. The organization stated that Sky was kept in conditions that caused unnecessary suffering, noting that SAPS records had documented her distress and anxiety as far back as March 2026.

Parliament’s Police Portfolio Committee chairperson Ian Cameron alleged that requests by officers to board the dog at private homes were not acted upon. SAPS spokesperson Athlenda Mathe stated that the decision to euthanise was made on humane grounds and confirmed that an internal investigation into the circumstances is currently underway.