Latest news with #SpecialProjectsUnit
The Sun
16-06-2025
- The Sun
Senior civil engineer charged with accepting RM100,000 in bribes over LTU project claims
KOTA BHARU: A senior civil engineer pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to 14 charges of receiving RM100,000 in bribes in connection with payment claims for the Central Spine Road (LTU) project in Gua Musang, Kelantan. Based on the 14 charges, Mohd Azly Abdul Aziz, 44, in his capacity as senior civil engineer with the Special Projects Unit of the East Coast Economic Region Development at the Public Works Department headquarters, is accused of receiving RM100,000 in separate sums ranging from RM5,000 to RM10,000 via online bank transfers from a 70-year-old contractor. The alleged gratification was in return for recommending the certification of interim payment claims for the LTU Package 3 project from Gua Musang, Kelantan, to Kampung Relong, Pahang. The offences were allegedly committed at a bank branch on Jalan Maju here between Dec 22, 2022 and Oct 31, 2023. He is charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 [Act 694], which provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction. MACC deputy public prosecutor Tengku Nurul Haziqah Tuan Yacob appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by counsel Azeezi Nordin. Earlier, Tengku Nurul Haziqah proposed bail at RM20,000 for all charges. However, Azeezi sought a lower amount of RM8,000, citing that his client is currently on unpaid leave and financially supporting a wife and four children. 'Following his remand and subsequent release during the investigation, the accused suffered from depression and applied for one-year unpaid leave, which was approved from Nov 26, 2024 to Nov 26 this year. 'Upon learning that he would be charged, he experienced further emotional distress and chose to resign from his post. His resignation was approved, taking effect from June 18. As such, he is no longer a civil servant,' the counsel submitted. He added that the accused is now working as a soap vendor and e-hailing driver, earning approximately RM3,000 a month. Judge Dazuki Ali allowed bail at RM12,000 with one surety and fixed July 17 for case mention.
The South African
11-06-2025
- The South African
Influencer facing animal charges after mocking SPCA's dog rescue
The influencer whose TikTok video featured an emaciated dog is facing animal cruelty charges from the SPCA. Johannesburg content creator Sasha Tshiamo is accused of mocking the NGO's plight to rescue the animal, who has been affectionately nicknamed 'Bobby.' This week, a starving Bobby was rescued and removed from her home by investigators after South Africans – and the SPCA – were moved by her shocking living conditions. She is now on the path to recovery. According to reports, influencer Sasha Tshiamo has been accused of mocking the dog featured in her viral TikTok video. The content creator also made light of a national search and reward for the dog's location. Under her posts, Sasha laughed off comments calling for 'Justice for Bobby.' She also reposted a skit from another content creator who was amused by the viral incident. 'Now, she will be facing charges in terms of the Animal Protection Act, while Bobby walked out victorious against her cruelty,' the SPCA told the media. In a follow-up TikTok video, Sasha claimed that Bobby is not her dog, and 'not my responsibility'. She also claimed that social media users had 'done me dirty' in their criticism of her. The dog's owners will also face animal cruelty charges. @ ♬ original sound – ayeecannytmalume While TikTok claims that the dog did not belong to her and was hence not her 'responsibility,' others have claimed that this is a poor excuse. @tashiri_g: 'This is not a defence, it's a deflection from the fact that you did not care to help or report her abuse'. @myrnalouw: 'How can you dance while a dog is starving in the background…sies!' @duckduckgoose: 'It doesn't have to be your dog in order for you to show human decency and kindness '. @ I'm not the owner please. ♬ original sound – It can't be Sasha Meanwhile, the SPCA shared the heartbreaking story of Bobby's rescue. In a social media post, a member of the Special Projects Unit was able to remove Bobby from her home. The post read: 'She is the most lovable dog, handing out kisses to everyone since the moment she arrived! Forced to eat plastic to survive, Bobby was found severely malnourished, suffering from fly strike, and covered in ticks and fleas'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NSPCA (@ The good news is that Bobby is now in safe hands and will be well-fed. The SPCA continued: 'She's on a long road to recovery, but once healthy, she'll be sterilised and available to the loving and caring home she deserves'. DO YOU BELIEVE THE CONTENT CREATOR DESERVED TO FACE ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES? Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 .
eNCA
11-06-2025
- eNCA
Influencer faces charges after abused dog is rescued
JOHANNESBURG - The NSPCA has confirmed that Bobby, the emaciated dog seen in the background of a viral social media video, is finally safe and in their care. The influencer at the centre of the storm is now facing charges under the Animals Protection Act. The video, which surfaced last week, showed a social media influencer dancing for the camera while a severely malnourished dog sat in the background. Bobby appeared weak and neglected, sparking widespread outrage online. 'She is the most lovable dog, handing out kisses to everyone since the moment she arrived,' the NSPCA said in a statement. 'Bobby was found severely malnourished, suffering from fly strike, and covered in ticks and fleas. She had even been forced to eat plastic to survive.' The NSPCA's Special Projects Unit immediately launched an investigation and successfully tracked down both Bobby's owner and the influencer. Bobby was taken into custody and is now receiving veterinary care and proper nutrition. While she remains in poor condition, the NSPCA says she is on a 'long road to recovery.' Once she has regained her strength and health, she will be sterilised and made available for adoption into 'the loving and caring home she deserves.' The influencer reportedly sarcastically mocked the NSPCA online after learning that the organisation was looking for her. But the tone has since changed. 'Now, she will be facing charges in terms of the Animals Protection Act, while Bobby walked out victorious against her cruelty,' the NSPCA confirmed.
The South African
09-06-2025
- The South African
Happy ending! SPCA rescues starving dog seen in TikTok
The national SPCA rescued an emaciated dog – nicknamed 'Bobby' – that was featured in a TikTok video last week. The animal was removed from its owners following a national outcry on social media. Content creator Sasha Tshiamo was the woman seen in the viral video – however, she insisted that the animal did not belong to her nor was it her 'responsibility'. Last week, a TikTok video featuring Sasha Tshiamo dancing was posted on the X platform. The video quickly went viral because of an emaciated dog in the background. The animal's ribcage was clearly visible, and it appeared lethargic. After scores of South Africans shared their concerns, the SPCA confirmed that it would be investigating the incident. It later updated the public that the starving dog – or 'Bobby' – had been rescued and removed from its home. It posted on X: 'Our Special Projects Unit jumped into action, and Bobby was taken in. She is now safe'. The SPCA has rescued an emaciated dog spotted in a viral video. the dog – nicknamed 'Bobby' was forced to eat plastic to survive. Images via X: @nspca_sa SPCA shared pics of the female dog, who appeared to have given birth to young puppies. They said of 'Bobby': 'She is the most lovable dog, handing out kisses to everyone since the moment she arrived! Forced to eat plastic to survive, Bobby was found severely malnourished, suffering from fly strike, and covered in ticks and fleas'. It continued: 'She's on a long road to recovery, but once healthy, she'll be sterilised and available to the loving and caring home she deserves'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NSPCA (@ The SPCA has yet to reveal if Bobby's owners will face criminal charges for animal abuse. Under the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962, offenders can face a fine or imprisonment. They could also face a denial of ownership – preventing them from owning animals – as well as a criminal conviction. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
22-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
‘It's a calling… someone has to do it' — NSPCA inspector on why she endures the danger and the heartbreak
Being an NSPCA inspector is a calling and not for the faint-hearted, as Sparky Moseki can attest, working in a landscape of legal loopholes, cultural clashes and sometimes dangerous confrontations. It's 6am and Sparky Moseki is somewhere between a city and the dustier edges of South Africa, heading to a property no one wants to see, to deal with something no one wants to face. 'You never really know what's waiting for you when you arrive,' she says. 'People think the NSPCA is just cats and dogs, but you'd be amazed. We deal with everything. Dogs, snakes, seals, livestock on ships, smuggled animals at borders, you name it.' Moseki is a senior inspector in the NSPCA's Special Projects Unit and with every rescue, every raid, every inspection, she carries something heavy: the look in an animal's eyes. 'You know when you see a dog that's been starved so long it can't stand up? And it looks at you like… please. Please help me. That's what stays with you.' For Moseki, this isn't a job. It's a mission. It's a calling. And it's heartbreak, over and over again. 'It's the law and it's people' Moseki's journey began at the University of Northwest, where she studied animal health. 'I always knew I wanted to work with animals,' she says. After a short stint at a vet practice in Johannesburg, fate nudged her towards the SPCA movement. 'That was 15 years ago, and here I am.' She's now a key figure in the Special Projects Unit – a team that operates in some of the most legally and ethically complex parts of animal welfare. 'We're the unit that deals with border control, checking for illegal animal trafficking. We inspect police dogs, prison dogs, private security dogs. We respond to cruelty reports. We monitor live exports. We handle dog fighting, illegal hunting, even tail docking.' She pauses. 'Every day is different. And some days it's overwhelming.' You're sitting there rewinding a video of someone stabbing a zebra, trying to spot a landmark, a licence plate. It wears you down. Unlike a vet's clean, clinical space, Moseki works in a landscape of legal loopholes, cultural clashes and sometimes dangerous confrontations. 'People don't always welcome you. You show up and it's 'why are you here? Who sent you? Get off my property.'' But the law is clear. 'Every animal in South Africa is protected under the Animal Protection Act. We're authorised to ensure their welfare. But if we're denied access? We have to go to court for a warrant. And I've never had a magistrate refuse us.' Still, paperwork is one thing. Reality is another. 'Sometimes you sit waiting hours for a police escort because the station has no vehicle, or you're walking into hostile situations, people threatening you. You have to stay calm. You have to stay focused on why you're there.' Asked what keeps her going, Moseki doesn't hesitate. 'It's a calling. You don't do this for money. You do it because you care, because someone has to.' People think we show up and take animals away and that's it. But they don't see the mental load, the emotional toll. It's a philosophy that's been tested, especially when she faces cruelty so severe it feels impossible to process. She tells the story of inspecting a live export ship in the Eastern Cape. 'That morning, we arrived and the rams' horns had been cut off too close to their heads. Blood everywhere. Animals were trapped. Crushed. It was a nightmare. We'd left them the night before and came back the next morning to this horror.' She shakes her head. 'You never forget that. Never.' And then there are the decisions. The impossible ones. The ones that tear you up no matter how many times you've made them. 'Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is euthanise,' she says quietly. 'When you look at an animal and know: nothing can save you. You've suffered enough. You deserve peace.' It's a burden few outsiders understand. 'People think we show up and take animals away and that's it,' she says. 'But they don't see the mental load, the emotional toll.' We're here to make sure no animal suffers in silence. That's why I wake up every morning. Even fear hasn't stopped Moseki. 'I was scared of snakes,' she admits, laughing. 'Couldn't even touch one. Then I got a call about a python, and I thought, I have to do this.' So afterwards she learnt and even completed a snake-handling course. 'Now? I can handle them no problem.' It's a theme in her work: confronting what others avoid. Whether it's snakes, smuggling operations or cruelty cases, Moseki faces it head-on. 'Someone has to. Someone has to be there for the animals.' Social media makes it worse – and better One thing that's changed in recent years is the rise of cruelty shared online. 'We get videos sent to us – WhatsApp, Facebook – people torturing animals, animals forced to fight, killing wildlife. And we have to watch them, over and over, to identify places, people.' She sighs. 'That's the part people don't think about. You're sitting there rewinding a video of someone stabbing a zebra, trying to spot a landmark, a licence plate. It wears you down.' But it also helps. 'People are sharing more, reporting more. So in a way, social media's made it harder for us, but also better for animals.' After 15 years, Moseki has complicated feelings about people. 'Some are cruel for fun. Some do it for clicks. Some do it because they've fallen on hard times and can't care for their animals anymore.' She pauses. 'But then you see the other side. People who rescue. People who care. People who feed stray animals from their own empty pockets.' She believes education is key. 'The more we're out there, the more people understand what cruelty really is. And maybe that means less cruelty in the long run.' At home, Moseki's world is quieter. She has a dog – a cross-breed border collie with heart. 'When I look into her eyes, I think, how could anyone hurt something that trusts you like this?' Her children share her passion. 'My youngest wants to be an inspector too. The older one wants to be a lawyer to advocate for animals. They see what I do. They've grown up knowing this is important.' She's lasted. And she'll keep lasting. 'At the end of the day,' she says, 'we're here to make sure no animal suffers in silence. That's why I wake up every morning. That's why I go out there. Even when it's hard. Even when it breaks me a little.' DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
