Daily Maverick column criticizes Cape Town’s draft animal-keeping rules
In Cape Town, South Africa, an opinion column in Daily Maverick criticizes a draft municipal bylaw on keeping animals. In the author’s view, the document creates additional requirements for responsible pet owners and small grooming businesses, but is insufficiently directed against informal breeding and the sale of animals.
In June 2025, Pug Rescue South Africa told a hearing of the parliamentary agriculture committee that the animal welfare crisis is caused by unregulated informal breeding and trade. The organization proposed a nationwide system with a registration number for breeders, a supervisory body, and a code of practice for the sale and breeding of animals.
Requirements for owners and groomers
According to the author’s description, the draft provides for a paid permit for every dog and cat in a household, as well as an additional permit for an unsterilized animal. Keeping a pet rabbit or several birds may require an approved building plan and compliance with fixed distances.
For grooming businesses, the document, according to the author, contains 21 provisions regarding facilities and operations. These include a separate bathroom, a grooming room with an impermeable surface, and noise-control measures. The author also claims that the draft may grant metropolitan police, traffic officers, and the South African Police Service the authority to search homes without a warrant to enforce the rules.
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Fines and cost of compliance
The column states that for any violation, the draft may provide for a maximum penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment, including for an expired permit to keep an animal. The author compares this with national legislation, under which up to two years’ imprisonment is provided for organized animal fighting, while the maximum term for animal mistreatment is 12 months.
The author also points to the possible financial unaffordability of the new requirements for low-income residents. According to the figures cited, microchipping costs from 150 to 275 rand, and permits may also be charged for each animal. Proposed alternatives include one-time simplified registration linked to a microchip, free or subsidized services for low-income areas, an emphasis on sterilization, and a reporting mechanism for unregistered breeders.
According to the column, public consultations on the draft will continue until September 29.
