When you visit Fallen Angels Pet Rescue, you will see wagging tails, gentle eyes and caretakers devoted to animals in need.
However, this is a rescue organisation teetering on the edge of collapse – not due to lack of compassion, but because of a fight with the city bureaucracy and the proximity of a nuclear power station.
What should have been an uplifting story of rescue and rehabilitation has turned into a saga of legal entanglements, mounting debt and a shelter that may not survive.
Fallen Angels began in 2014 with a mission to rescue forgotten, abandoned, lost, lonely, emaciated and neglected animals.
Under the leadership of co-founder Gayl Basson and her team, they purchased a farm in Melkbosstrand in the Western Cape in order to have a permanent home for their work.
Then, in March 2022 – eight years after the rescue was founded – they received a legal notice: the City of Cape Town (CoCT) required them immediately to cease operations or apply for “special consent use” for an animal-care centre, under threat of a R800,000 fine or imprisonment.
In May 2022 they submitted the required application. The costs piled up: R350,000 just to process the application, including plans for every building, wendy-house, pole and fence.
They learned their chances were slim: their property lies within a 5-km evacuation zone of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, an international regulatory no-go for many uses. Planning consultants told them the odds of success were minimal.
Later, on November 2, 2024, after 2 years and 8 months, they were informed their application had been refused due to the proximity to Koeberg and that they must move or appeal.
They appealed (for a further R10,000 fee) despite being told the chance of success was negligible.
A rare reversal, but it came too late
Then came the twist: on November 4, 2025, the Mayor’s office intervened and approved the application.
Fallen Angels were permitted to continue operating. This decision by the mayor effectively overrode the earlier ruling tied to the Koeberg zone.
Yet the triumph was bittersweet as the financial toll had already crippled the organisation. Gayl Basson, co-founder of Fallen Angels said: “It’s a victory for animal welfare … the decision has come too late as the costs of this process have crippled us … the approval from the Mayor gives us a bit more time and our animals are safe.”
Mounting debt, stretched resources and relocation looming
Despite the legal green-light, the organisation faces a stark reality. Monthly operating costs (salaries, electricity, food, vet bills) now exceed R200,000, and debt is rising by around R100,000 every month.
If they cannot sell the farm or secure miracle funding, they risk closure and loss of the land they’ve fought so hard to keep.
Since the March 2022 notice, Fallen Angels have already made a move: they purchased a small farm up the West Coast and began a new application process.
But the delays and legal resistance drained their reserves, and now the shelter is staggering under the financial weight.
How it affects the public
Animal rescue is part of the social fabric of Cape Town, and when a shelter like Fallen Angels is threatened, the effects ripple out to the community.
The organisation has cared for well over 250 animals in its care at a time and has been a hub for adoption, therapy and community engagement.
The fact that the city denied their permit because of proximity to a nuclear power station, and then reversed its decision only after years of expense and uncertainty, is a story about government red tape, regulatory complexity and the fragility of the non-profit sector.
Fallen Angels still need the public’s support more than ever for the animals they care for and are appealing to the public for the following:
- Donations to the organisation so they can cover mounting costs and avoid closure.
- Adopt or foster one of their animals.
- Share their story and raise awareness.
- Advocate for clearer, fairer zoning and permit processes for rescue operations.
Contact: Gayl 084 688 7111 · Shireen 076 993 9670 · Email [email protected]
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