Parliament, Wednesday, 9 September 2026 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, expressed his devastation in confirming that South African Police Service (SAPS) service dog Sky has been euthanised following the catastrophic injuries the dog sustained while confined at the SAPS Veterinary Hospital at Roodeplaat.
Sky’s condition deteriorated severely overnight. “I have been informed that the open fracture to her left front leg had caused tissue in the limb to begin dying. She also had a fracture to her right front leg, where the skin had started dying,” Mr Cameron confirmed.
The muscles of the dog had suffered extensive damage and were beginning to break down, causing her urine to turn red. This indicated that her body could no longer cope with the trauma, and there was a strong suspicion that her organs were beginning to fail.
The dog’s condition made surgery and anaesthesia extremely dangerous. After consultation with her treating doctors, the agonising decision was taken to euthanise her and prevent further suffering.
Onderstepoort will conduct a clinician-led post-mortem examination and compile a formal report on its findings. That report must form part of every investigation into Sky’s death.
Mr Cameron said: “I welcome Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane’s decision to appoint a senior officer to investigate. She has my full support in establishing the truth and taking action against anyone found responsible. However, the SAPS statement released on 8 September suggests that the information initially supplied to the Acting National Commissioner by the Roodeplaat facility and responsible management may be incomplete or materially misleading.”
Mr Cameron said SAPS claimed that Sky was merely being accommodated at Roodeplaat while arrangements were made to place her with a suitable new owner, and that the donation process was still underway.
“That version cannot be accepted without serious scrutiny. SAPS’s own veterinary certificate, signed on 28 August 2026, records that Sky was admitted to Roodeplaat in March with injuries linked to her kennel stress and previous escape attempts. These included wounds to her face and legs and damage to her teeth, with some teeth having been torn from her jaw before her admission to Roodeplaat,” emphasised Mr Cameron.
The certificate states that the dog’s attempts to escape remained “persistent and compulsive” during its admission and resulted in significant reinjury. It further records that she continued trying to escape when left unattended.
Sky was diagnosed with separation anxiety and severe kennel stress. She was treated with Fluoxetine, Gabapentin and Trazodone. The certificate expressly states that her prognosis in the SAPS environment was poor and that she could not remain there without compromising her welfare. This was recorded in writing 10 days before the incident that ultimately led to her death.
Mr Cameron said the information provided to him indicates that, during August, SAPS members asked Colonel Corbett to approach Brigadier Kekana for permission for Sky to be taken to a suitable home temporarily while the formal application was being processed. According to the information supplied, that request was not escalated to Brigadier Kekana.
This is important because SAPS’s statement creates the impression that officials were diligently searching for a suitable owner. The information available indicates that a suitable and willing person had already been identified, and that members had proposed an immediate way of removing Sky from the kennel environment while the paperwork was finalised.
Mr Cameron said SAPS must explain how a supposedly active placement process was allowed to drag on for approximately 160 days while its own veterinary personnel knew that confinement placed Sky at risk. He said it must also establish exactly when the donation process began, what steps were taken, who was responsible for each step and why the request for temporary home placement was not acted upon.
According to the information available, Sky was confined for approximately 18 hours every day in a small indoor kennel in a room without natural light. She was allegedly left unattended from Sunday afternoon until she was discovered catastrophically injured on Monday morning.
The SAPS statement says Sky’s welfare was a priority. The evidence must now establish whether it was treated as a priority before her injuries became fatal. “I have opened a criminal case and referred the matter to the NSPCA’s Special Projects Unit and the South African Veterinary Council. An internal SAPS inquiry cannot be the only process investigating SAPS’s own conduct.”
This is not just about one dog. Sky’s death raises grave questions about the supervision, management and welfare of every animal entrusted to SAPS. All veterinary records, post-mortem findings, biological samples, CCTV footage, kennel registers, duty rosters, inspection records and internal communications must be preserved.
“Sky served the police and depended entirely on SAPS for her protection. She could not speak for herself or escape the decisions made about her life. Her death cannot be reduced to an unfortunate accident or administrative delay. Those who knew about the danger, had the authority to act and failed to protect her must be independently investigated and, where supported by the evidence, prosecuted,” reiterated Mr Cameron.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON POLICE, MR IAN CAMERON.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the Committee’s Media Officer.
Mr Mava Lukani
Cell: 081 503 1840
Email: mlukani@parliament.gov.za
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