St. Peter's Church wants to slaughter the beast to mark the inauguration of a new diocese, the BBC reports. The church's priest, the Rev. Zolile Sogiba says the local chapter of the SPCA is disregarding African tradition.
"Our church is a diverse church, diverse in culture, worshipping and spirituality, and people must appreciate that diversity because it indicates how different cultures worship God," he said.
But SPCA executive Allan Perrins said the society wants assurances from the church that the slaughter would be conducted humanely and said SPCA representatives would attend the ceremony.
The SPCA has appealed to Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane to intervene in the matter. A spokesman for the Archbishop says all care would be taken to spare the animal unnecessary stress and suffering.
