Help Khayelitsha's Mdzananda Animal Clinic rebuild after truck accident

CapeTalk's Clarence Ford speaks to Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Executive at Mdzananda Animal Clinic.

Listen below:

Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha has suffered a devastating blow after a truck, allegedly driven by an intoxicated driver, crashed into the facility’s operating theatre on Tuesday, 2 September.

Shockingly, this was the second crash in just two days, another vehicle had already ploughed into the clinic’s fence the day before.

The impact left the entire surgical theatre in ruins and caused severe damage to the storage room, placing immense strain on the clinic’s dedicated team. Despite the destruction, no staff or animals were injured in the incident.

Du Plessis says walls are "see through" due to the incident. While this has not stopped veterinarians to continue with operations if there are any needed, it has impacted the amount of sterilising done daily.

"Our theatre walls have got complete holes in them, you can see straight through them, and the entire structure is leaning to one side... so we predict that we have to rebuild the entire theatre."

- Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Executive - Mdzananda Animal Clinic

"Our veterinarians are determined to continue with operations, so we are continuing – just at a lesser scale, making sure everything is as effective as possible... but it has impacted us, we definitely aren't sterilising as many animals as we could on a normal day."

- Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Executive - Mdzananda Animal Clinic

"If we need rebuild the operating theatre, we're looking at something around R300,000 to R400,000 which is quite an impact on our budget... I'm sure the insurance will be able to pay something out, but I predict they won't be able to pay everything out." 

- Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Executive - Mdzananda Animal Clinic

Mdzananda Animal Clinic is a lifeline for thousands of pets and pet owners in the Khayelitsha community, offering vital veterinary services in an area with limited access to animal healthcare. Now, the clinic faces the urgent and costly task of rebuilding its operating facilities.

The facility is the only one of its kind in the area, and has been for over 30 years – providing everything vulnerable animals need while empowering pet owners through community outreach and awareness.

The clinic is asking the public to help with any donations, no matter how small, for repairs. 

Banking details:

Name/recipient: Mdzananda Animal Clinic

Bank: Nedbank – Current Account

Branch Code: 198765

Account Number: 1314465147

Reference: "damage" + your name

For more information, pop an email to: info@mdzananda.co.za 

Every contribution makes a difference in helping this essential clinic get back on its feet!

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