Jaco Pieterse

Jaco Pieterse (born, May 18, 1990) is an Afrikaans-born South African animal welfarist and working as a Senior Inspector and Manager at the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - South Africa (NSPCA), the largest and oldest animal welfare organisation in South Africa. Pieterse has worked with the SPCA movement in South Africa since 2005.
Background
Pieterse was born in Vereeniging, in the then Transvaal Province of South Africa, the youngest of four children of Mariana Pieterse (née Prinsloo) and Jan Hendrik Jacobus Pieterse. He is from an Afrikaans family. Pieterse is a Dutch and Afrikaans surname. Although Pieterse is fluent in English, his first language is Afrikaans.
Pieterse grew up in Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg. He attended Vryheidsmonument Primary School (Laerskool Vryheidsmonument) and matriculated in 2008 at Overvaal High School (Hoërskool Overvaal).
In 2009 Pieterse obtain certificates in Dog behavior and Horse behavior (with a distinction) through the Ethology Academy and qualified as an SPCA Inspector after successfully completing the NSPCA Inspectors Training Course requirements. Pieterse qualified as a Senior Inspector in 2012.
In 2015 Pieterse completed a Practical Labour Law course at the University of Cape Town. In 2016 Pieterse completed a Fundamentals of Business Management course at the University of the Witwatersrand and in the same year also completed his diploma in Social Media Marketing at Shaw Academy through correspondence.
Pieterse is currently busy with his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) at the University of South Africa.
Pieterse's work with the SPCA
Pieterse started his career as a volunteer in 2005 at the Vereeniging SPCA (now the Vereeniging & Vanderbijlpark SPCA). He volunteered for more than 3 years at his local SPCA before moving to Cape Town in 2009 to go and work at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA as a trainee Inspector.
On 6 March 2010 Pieterse joined the National Council of SPCAs - NSPCA , working in the organisations Farm Animal Protection Unit. In the Farm Animal Protection Unit Pieterse inspected facilities where farm animals are kept, used or farmed. Some of the areas covered in the Unit are intensive farming, draught animals, pounds, export, abattoirs, sale yards, transportation and small scale farmers.
Pieterse later moved to the NSPCA Society Liaison Unit where he qualified as a Senior Inspector in June 2012. Pieterse was promoted to the Manager of the NSPCA Special Projects Unit on 1 October 2013. Pieterse worked within this Unit for more that a year whereby he made a significant impact in the welfare of animals which are used in recreational, guarding and exhibition activities. The Unit focuses on pigeon racing, aquaculture, security companies using dogs, dog racing and the transportation of animals through our ports of entry and exit (borders). The Unit also works extensively on humane deterrents or control of "problem animals” and electronic training devices.
On 1 August 2014 Pieterse moved back to the NSPCA Society Liaison Unit and was promoted to the Manager of the Unit. Part of Pieterse's responsibilities were to uphold and enforce the provisions of the SPCA Act No 169 of 1993, in terms of which its duty is to ensure that all 90 SPCAs in South Africa comply with the policies and standards that have been formulated with these SPCAs and adopted over the years. The Unit actively promote co-operation between member SPCAs and their interests by providing advice, guidance, training, educational material, assistance with complex cases and, when necessary, making national appeals on behalf of struggling SPCAs.
On 1 April 2017 Pieterse was promoted to Manager of the NSPCA Communications Unit. He is now responsible for the NSPCA s Marketing, Public Relations and Web Management/Social Media functions. The Communications Unit deals with branding, relationship management, publicity, communicating with the media and general public and securing donor funding. A key component of the Communications Unit is to showcase the NSPCA as the leader in animal welfare in South Africa and we strive to convey our messages in a way that is credible, visible and truthful. This portfolio has no budget and depend on donated services which includes creative work to develop advertising material, the production of advertisements and the placing of them in publications, on radio or on web sites and social media platforms.
Animal Cruelty Cases
In 2010 Pieterse investigated a case of animal cruelty involving more that 800 cattle on a farm starving in Groot Marico in the . Charges of animal cruelty were opened against the owner after several of the cattle had to be humanely destroyed due to their poor state of health. Pieterse testified in court as a witness and the owner was found guilty on charges of animal cruelty.
In 2012 Pieterse investigated a case of 125 cats being kept in "putrid conditions" in the house of a former SPCA employee in Underberg , KwaZulu Natal . The cats on her property had been donated to the local SPCA, but had been diverted by the employee to her own property which resulted in too many cats being housed inside her house and cruelty being caused. Pieterse confiscated the 125 cats that were in poor health and charges of animal cruelty opened in terms of the Animals Protection Act No 71 of 1962. In the same year Pieterse assisted the Vereeniging SPCA with the removal of hundreds of dogs and cats from the "no kill" Irwins Animal Rescue Centre, south of Johannesburg. The animals were confiscated because they were suffering and in dire need of medical attention. Some of the animals had old untreated injuries and some infected with maggots. Charges of animal cruelty were laid against the owner of the "no kill" shelter. Pieterse also removed a bull from the back of a pick-up after it was found that the bull was tethered inhumanely. Pieterse was beaten up by Metro Police Officers because the bull belonged to their family members. Pieterse was persistent and removed the bull and laid criminal charges in terms of the Animals Protection Act No 71 of 1962.
In 2013 Pieterse was involved with a raid involving Dog fighting whereby 18 suspects were arrested and 15 dogs were rescued. Dog fighting is illegal in South Africa and a prosecutable offence in terms of the Animals Protection Act No 71 of 1962. In the same year Pieterse arrested a woman for allowing her dog to suffer after being covered in acid. No medical treatment was sourced for the dog and the dog was left to suffer. The owner of the dog was found guilty on charges of animal cruelty in the Vereeniging Magistrates Court. In the same year Pieterse confiscated a vervet monkey from a veterinarian who maimed the monkey by removing three of its limbs. The monkey had to be humanely euthanased as a result of its injuries.
In 2014 the fight against the legalisation of Dog Racing in South Africa continued. Pieterse played a vital role in the submission of heads of arguments to the government's Department of Trade and Industry as to why Dog Racing should remain illegal in the country. Sled dog racing was also declared illegal in the same year in South Africa.

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