18 August 2023
By: Lloyd Phillips
Social media posts accusing a Mpumalanga farmer of vindictively burning alive animals in response to being unlawfully evicted, have been confirmed as fake news by the NSPCA.
The animal welfare organisation, the NSPCA, has found no evidence whatsoever that Mpumalanga farmer Jan Paul Grey burned animals alive or otherwise cruelly slaughtered them. This contradicts recent unverified social media posts that painted the farmer as supposedly having vindictively burned and slaughtered livestock after he was allegedly forcibly evicted from the farm he is on in the Morgenzon district.
Grace de Lange, who manages the NSPCA’s Farm Animal Protection Unit, says an inspection on 17 August found only animal carcasses in various stages of decomposition ranging from recently to a few months ago.
“None of the carcasses sustained burns or indicated that they were [unlawfully] slaughtered or [cruelly] deliberately killed. It was revealed that the animals died from a variety of conditions. The areas around the dumpsite and firebreaks were burned in compliance with the National Veld and Forest Fire Act 101 of 1989, which is a legal requirement,” De Lange explains.
She adds the NSPCA’s inspection team also found the horns and skulls of different animals on Grey’s farm’s dumpsite. These were from animals that Grey was issued valid permits for to cull in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, and whose carcasses were subsequently processed.
“A large number of wildlife, as well as sheep, cattle, horses and geese were inspected [on Grey’s farm] and their conditions appeared to be very good. There were no compromised animals found and all animals had access to adequate grazing, supplementary feed and water at the time of inspection,” continues De Lange.
“Our findings conclude that there was no apparent malice or cruelty.”
Last week Wednesday, Grey, his wife and children were evicted from the farm where they are legally living with the permission of the Mpumalanga Department of Land Reform. This surprise eviction was allegedly at the hands of a large group of heavily armed persons who said they were operating on the instruction of the aforementioned government department.
Judge L. Langa of the Mpumalanga High Court found that the eviction was unlawful because, in terms of a land reform agreement with the Mpumalanga Department of Land Reform, the Grey family has permission to be there. Langa issued an urgent interdict ordering the evictors off the farm, preventing them from further interfering with the Grey family, and allowing the family back onto the farm.
When African Farming asked the national Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development why the Grey’s were evicted and who ordered the eviction, spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo referred the enquiry to the state attorney’s offices in Mpumalanga. African Farming has submitted an enquiry to the state attorney there, and is currently awaiting a reply.
Grey told African Farming earlier this week that the group of people who evicted him were carrying assault rifles, with some lying “sniper-like” on building roofs with their weapons trained on him.
He also said when he was finally able to return to the farm, he found the homes and offices “totally ransacked”, including safes having been broken open. Items had allegedly been stolen and there was also evidence of vandalism by the evictors.
African Farming’s repeated attempts to obtain comment from the Mpumalanga SAPS on the allegedly heavily armed and hostile illegal eviction of the Grey family, and regarding the alleged thefts and vandalism, have been unsuccessful.
This is a developing story.
