Working horses would be protected from extreme heat, guard dogs could no longer be chained on site and glue traps would be banned under Cape Town’s proposed new animal by-law.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has welcomed the City of Cape Town’s draft Animal Keeping By-law, 2026, which is open for public comment.
The SPCA worked alongside the City on the draft, which introduces specific welfare requirements for working equines and extends protections to animals across the metro.
New rules proposed for working horses and donkeys
Under the draft by-law, a working horse or donkey may not be worked when temperatures exceed 30°C.
Clean drinking water must be available at all times when the animal is not working.
While working, the animal must also receive a break at least once every hour, with access to water.
Limits would also be placed on the loads these animals are expected to pull. A working horse or donkey may not pull a load heavier than double its own weight, including the vehicle.
Heavily pregnant animals may not be worked.
The SPCA said the requirements provide inspectors with clear standards when responding to incidents involving working animals, including cart horses.
“These are the protections our inspectors have long wanted to see for the animals of this city. A heat limit, water, rest, a load cap. Written into the by-law, they give animals a level of protection that supports and strengthens the work we do. We are grateful to the City for that.” — Belinda Abraham, spokesperson, Cape of Good Hope SPCA
Guard dogs would receive specific welfare protections
The proposed by-law also introduces welfare standards for security and guard dogs.
These include a minimum kennel size, shelter from the weather and permanent access to clean water.
Tethering or chaining guard dogs on site would no longer be permitted.
The draft also proposes banning glue and adhesive traps, including their sale.
Wild and exotic animals would no longer be permitted in circus acts, while animals may not be left in stationary vehicles under conditions harmful to their health.
Stray animals must be scanned for microchips
The draft also sets out requirements for stray and impounded animals.
Every stray animal taken in must be scanned for a microchip, helping lost pets to be identified and returned to their owners.
Animals that remain unclaimed could be signed over to the rescuers who found them, sterilised and microchipped.
The proposed by-law also includes standards governing the operation of shelters and animal welfare organisations.
Frontline SPCA cases helped shape proposals
The SPCA said much of the detail contained in the draft reflects decades of cases handled by its Inspectorate.
Former Cape of Good Hope SPCA Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse worked extensively on the proposed changes.
Pieterse continues to volunteer for the organisation and is now a candidate attorney at Gishen Macleod Attorneys.
His work on the proposals helped turn situations encountered by inspectors in the field into wording that could be included in the City’s by-law.
“Every clause in here started as a case. The heat limit, the water, the load cap and each one comes from what SPCA inspectors see in the field. Having the City recognise that and build it into the by-law means better protection for animals for years to come.” — Jaco Pieterse, former Chief Inspector and volunteer, Cape of Good Hope SPCA, candidate attorney Gishen Macleod Attorneys.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has welcomed the draft as a step towards strengthening the standards used to protect animals across Cape Town.
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