'Zesty Ketties' spark row

2004-12-02 14:28

Cape Town - An entrepreneurship award to pupils at Ellisras High School, Limpopo, who have made thousands of rands selling decorated catapults has provoked an outraged response from the NSPCA.

"The award condones irresponsible behaviour and virtually promotes cruelty," National Council of the Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spokesperson Christine Kuch said.

If any bird or animal was intentionally injured or made to suffer by one of the "Zesty Ketties", the school could face charges under the Animal Protection Act.

She said the NSPCA had written to Old Mutual, one of the sponsors of the Young Tycoons competition, to express its "disgust, distress, outrage and despair".

She said the SPCA in Ellisras was offered a donation of over R3 000 from the catty project but declined it as "blood money".

"We congratulate the manager who turned this money down. So strongly does the NSPCA agree with this stance that the equivalent amount of money has been given to the SPCA concerned by the NSPCA."

However, the school's headmaster Johan Koekemoer told Sapa he thought the NSPCA had "run away" with the issue, as the catapults had been designed and sold as curios.

"I don't think someone will buy that catapult for shooting a thing, because all of them are fancy, painted with whatever shapes," he said.

"This is not a thing for killing; it's a curio thing... Ordinary catties, that may be another story."

Have to reconsider the project

He said the project had been run by a group of six Grade 10 pupils, who chalked up a profit of some R12 000 by selling over 300 of the catapults locally and at the Aardklop festival in Potchefstroom.

Asked if the project would carry on, he said: "That was the plan, but I don't know if anything will come of it. If there's a whole fuss about this thing, we must think about it... Is it worthwhile if we have these people on our necks?"

He said when the local SPCA turned down the third of the profits that according to Young Tycoon competition rules must go to charity, the group gave the money to an old-age home instead.

Old Mutual's regional marketing manager for the area that covers Ellisras, Koos Nel, said the intention behind the catapults had been to create "something unique from the Bushveld" for an overseas market.

"It was never intended either by Old Mutual or the kids to be something negative," he said.

"The kids themselves decided to make the donation to the SPCA because they are all animal lovers. They come from the Bushveld."

The competition was aimed at developing responsible future business entrepreneurs.

"We are sensitive about conservation at Old Mutual. I think it was just pulled out of context on the SPCA side."

However Old Mutual would take the objections into consideration, and "put on the table" a revision to the competition rules to exclude projects that had the potential to harm animals or humans.

- SAPA