Help for a mother after the tragic loss of her daughter

Charmaine Pieterse is known in the Krugersdorp and Roodepoort communities as a fearless and tireless animal rights activist.

She has been running her 9th Day Animal Rescue, Rehabilitation & Rehoming Centre for a decade, making it the only pro-life animal rescue facility in the area.

On average, they care for 300 animals per month and provide shelter for 180 animals, including dogs, cats, chinchillas, horses and donkeys.

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“We focus primarily on stray animals – the neglected, sick, broken souls living in fields, roaming the streets and scavenging garbage bins for food. We give them the veterinary care they need, teach them to trust, heal their broken souls and find them forever homes. All our animals are vaccinated, wormed, microchipped and sterilized. Why the name 'The 9th Day'? Because on the 9th day, God created a dog,” reads the inscription on their website: https://www.the9thday.co.za/.

Charmaine is used to fighting all kinds of battles for animals in need, but this weekend this fearless fighter was struck by unimaginable tragedy when Charmaine's best friend, biggest supporter and sister in arms, her daughter Nikita, was killed in a car accident.

On September 12, Nikita would have turned 21.

Community members have rallied around Charmaine and her family as they try to cope with this devastating loss.

They are doing what they can to support Charmaine, and they know that she does not want to abandon the animals in her care while she is suffering from her pain.

They also know that Charmaine needs additional financial support – a burden they would like to take off her hands. That's why they wrote to Good Morning Angels.

DONATE:

• NAME: The 9th day
• BANK: FNB
• ACC-NR: 625 710 168 25
• BRANCH: 250 655

REQUEST FOR: Charmaine Pieterse, represented by Debbie Pickett and Roné Meyer.

REQUEST FROM: Several listeners, including Heather Scheffel.

ANGEL: The Good Morning Angels Fund NPC

SPONSORSHIP: The Good Morning Angels Fund will support Charmaine with a donation of R100 000 towards the two outstanding vet bills for her animals and other expenses.

READ: R100,000 in aid for father with Gillian Barre syndrome

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

Good morning angel,

Charmaine runs the 9th Day Animal Rescue Centre. I first learned about the rescue centre when we adopted our little dog Firefly a few years ago and Charmaine came in to have her microchipped. Since then, I have been getting updates on the centre's plight and am always amazed by what they do and the constant strain of having to ask for donations for these wonderful animals that Charmaine helps. This request is different however as Charmaine suffered the unimaginable tragedy of losing her beloved daughter in a car accident this past weekend. According to a post shared on Facebook, Nikita would have turned 21 on September 12th and Charmaine was planning a 21st birthday surprise.^st Birthday party for her. Unfortunately she now has to plan a celebration of a lifetime ☹ A Back a Buddy campaign has been launched on Facebook and has so far raised R28,500 of the R50,000 needed. It is titled “Let the Legend Live On” and I will copy the script from the organiser Keagan Mac Rae to give more insight into the situation…

“Today I would like to share with you the heartbreaking news of well-known animal activist Charmaine Pieterse, who recently experienced an unimaginable tragedy. Her daughter Nikita was involved in a serious car accident and has sadly passed away.

We can express our support and condolences at this extremely difficult time. As many of you know, Charmaine is deeply committed to her work. She runs an organization dedicated to the rehoming and care of animals, something that was also very important to her daughter.

In memory of Nikita and to help Charmaine through this tragedy, we are organizing a collection to help both her family and her organization. Every contribution can make a huge difference. This support will help meet immediate needs and ensure the continuation of the vital work of her animal rehoming organization. Please consider making a donation.

Thank you for considering this act of kindness at such a critical time. Our thoughts are with Charmaine and her family.”

Thank you for taking the time to read my request.

I am still impressed by how you change lives every day!

Thank you very much!

Heather