One of the Cape’s greatest animal heroes is turning in his badge, but it’s not the end. It’s the start of a new chapter.
Cape Town, South Africa (08 December 2025) – In the last 20 years, if there was an animal in trouble in the Cape, Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse was probably nearby. In a courtroom fighting for justice, trekking a mountain to save a dog, on a beach guiding a confused seal, or on someone’s stoep with a warrant in hand.
After two decades of monumental work for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, Jaco is hanging up his inspector’s badge at the end of the year to start his articles as an attorney in 2026. The uniform is changing, but the mission is definitely not.
“This year, I celebrated 20 years with the SPCA movement. Two decades of service. Two decades of fighting for the voiceless. Two decades of giving every part of myself to a cause that shaped me into who I am today.
It is with an extremely heavy heart that I share that I will be stepping away from my position at the end of this year to commence my legal article clerkship in 2026. Writing these words is far more emotional than I ever expected. This organisation has been my entire life. My identity. My purpose. My home. But it is not goodbye – it is simply the next chapter.” shares Jaco.
If you’ve followed Good Things Guy for a while, you’ll recognise the name.
Jaco was there when a buried-alive dog named Courage got a second chance. He became a hero when another dog called Rocky, emaciated and terminally ill, needed someone to love him all the way to the end. Jaco adopted him, kept his promise, and held him as he crossed the rainbow bridge. He’s been the voice when dogfighting syndicates and cruelty cases needed someone to say, ‘Not on our watch.’
Over the years, Jaco has featured in over a dozen of our rescue stories. He has never given up or wavered in his commitment to fighting against animal cruelty.
That love and dedication was shaped when he was just a child.
“We did not grow up with much, but we had love for each other and for our animals. We always had dogs, and then guinea pigs, chickens… and when we eventually moved to a smallholding, I finally got my dream: a cow. I was in absolute heaven. This came with huge responsibility – we had to take care of our own animals, including feeding and cleaning after them. My parents were very strict in this regard – if you want them, then you need to look after them. And this is exactly what I did – I looked after my animals…Becoming a veterinarian was never my path – but the day I saw Animal Cops Houston on Animal Planet, everything clicked. I turned to my mother and said, ‘This is what I want to do….’ At 15, I walked through the doors of the Vereeniging SPCA as a volunteer. That decision changed the entire trajectory of my life.”
Jaco became the youngest person to write the NSPCA Inspector Entrance Exam while still in matric. The youngest person to qualify as an SPCA Inspector. The youngest to become a Senior Inspector.
“Milestones I chased – and achieved – because the animals needed me.”
Those milestones turned into a career saving lives and fighting battles for animals who did not have a voice. All animals.
“I have fought cases that many people laughed at. One of my proudest moments was prosecuting a case involving cruelty to frogs. People genuinely thought I had lost my mind – but my sister (also an SPCA Inspector) stood next to me, believing in me as she always has. We won that case. A conviction for cruelty to frogs. It made international news and remains one of the highlights of my career. One of many such cases.”
Somewhere along the way, the boy who once said ‘I want to do what Animal Cops do’ realised he could take the fight even further and started studying law part-time.
Last year, he graduated with his LLB. This year, he pushed forward and completed four challenging months of night school, smashing two of his board exams. To add, in the past Jaco has also trained with the CoCT in after hours classes to become a Law Enforcement Auxiliary Officer.
“I then established the Animal Control Unit Auxiliaries – now 10 members strong – assisting the SPCA Inspectors daily. This unit has changed enforcement in the City for animals and animal welfare: more arrests, more convictions, and critical support to the SPCA Inspectorate.
I volunteer a minimum of 45 to 72 hours every month to Law Enforcement (after hours, when I am done with my SPCA job). And I am incredibly proud of the difference we’ve made.
Today, looking back, I am proud of the man I’ve become. Proud of the sacrifices. Proud of the impact.”
Pieterse might be moving on from his incredibly impactful role as Chief Inspector, but he isn’t stepping away from the fight.
“I will remain involved with the SPCA, but this time in a legal capacity. I will continue to fight for animals – in the courtroom, in policy, and wherever I am needed. And who knows? After my articles, perhaps I will find my way back home to the SPCA.”
His 20 years of experience are going to be a powerful tool in taking animal rights and animal welfare even further. He knows the realities inspectors face, the gaps in enforcement, and where the law needs teeth.
Which is why this isn’t a sad ending, but a good one.
He’s taking everything he’s seen, every animal he’s carried, every case he’s pushed over the line, and turning it into legal firepower for the next chapter of animal protection in South Africa.
“This is not the end of my story. It is simply a new chapter in the same mission I have had since I was 15 years old: To protect animals. Always.”
Sources: Linked above
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