Justice for animals is justice for all

The justice ministry has received reams of input to help refine and strengthen the new animal protection and welfare bill, which could legislatively place Namibia as a leader in animal welfare on the continent.Anel van der Vywer, a senior legal officer at the ministry handling the bill, said by closing of public input on Monday the ministry had received “a huge amount of input, which is greatly appreciated.”Ronél Lewies, founder of Annie's Animal Legal Fund (AALF), who assisted SPCA Namibia in compiling commentary to the bill, said it would “introduce a new era of animal protection and welfare in Namibia, and will propel Namibia as a leader in the field of animal protection and welfare legislation in Africa.”Internationally there is a trend to recognise animals as more than mere property, and “this bill is in line with those international trends,” Lewies said.She described the bill as “well thought through” and praised the ministry's efforts to expedite the legislation process over the past year. Crucially, she said the bill is a thorough and complete re-draft of the current Act, and not just a piecemeal amendment.“The bill is an autonomous and contemporary piece of legislation, as it addresses many more aspects than the current act and it recognises animals as a 'special' type of property - elevated above mere property,” she said.Van der Vywer said the next step was to decide whether a stakeholder meeting is required based on the public input, and to then submit the bill to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation, which Van der Vywer said would hopefully happen by mid-November. She said that “is the most we can achieve this year”, as the bill also needs to be reviewed by legal drafters and the attorney-general before being tabled in parliament. The bill includes robust and stiff prison sentences and fines for those guilty of animal neglect, abuse and other cruelties. These range from five to 15 years behind bars, fines of between N$10 000 and N$200 000, or both.The bill further enhances the powers of animal welfare officers and organisations and addresses pet breeder regulations. The current animal protection bill is 57 years old and includes a maximum penalty of N$200, irrespective of the crime.Lewies described this law as “untenable”. WinIn September, at the public launch of the bill, justice minister Sakeus Shanghala emphasised that by focusing on animal welfare in Namibia, “I am also able to focus on the welfare of women and children that are abused”.He said globally, there is increased understanding of the link between animal and human violence.Studies undertaken in the UK showed animal abuse is a better predictor of sexual assault than previous convictions for homicide, arson, or firearm offences. Shanghala said although no such studies have been done in Africa, he had no doubt that they would yield the same results.Findings in the UK showed that 61.5% of convicted animal abuse offenders had also committed assault, 17% had committed sexual abuse, and 8% had arson convictions.Moreover, all sexual offenders reported having been cruel to animals. The studies found that animal cruelty offenders committed an average of four different types of criminal offences. Sexual assault, domestic violence and firearms offences featured prominently in animal cruelty histories. Shanghala's pioneering push to enhance animal rights in Namibia began in January, when he saw the World Animal Protection Index, whose indicators were used to guide the drafting of the bill. “Although Namibia is making great strides in animal welfare, I am under no illusion that there is still plenty of work to be done in terms of the protection of marine animals, draught animals and general education in animal care standards,” he said.JANA-MARI SMITH

Justice for animals is justice for all

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-16

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Justice for animals is justice for all

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-16

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