Rubbish crisis a rat-breeding health hazard

PILES of household-produced rubbish, rich breeding grounds for rats, are an eyesore in many parts of Pietermaritzburg townships, and Msunduzi Municipality has been blamed for contributing to the situation by not doing regular collection.

Independent on Saturday newspaper took a drive around Imbali, the city’s biggest township, to assess the situation in reaction to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s instruction last Friday that municipalities must remove rubbish because it created conditions for rats to breed and multiply vigorously.

Responding to food-borne deaths and illnesses of pupils across the country, including KwaZulu-Natal, Ramaphosa instructed municipalities to clean up normally filthy residential areas.

“Our local municipalities will be required to take urgent action to address the problem of rat infestations by cleaning cities and towns and removing waste.

“Failure to comply will result in strict sanctions that include directives, compliance notices and criminal enforcement,” said Ramaphosa.

Fortunately, the city had not yet experienced food poisoning linked to more than 890 illnesses of school children, 23 of whom died, across all provinces since the beginning of September. According to SABC news on Tuesday morning, a 5-year-old boy died on Wednesday in Diepkloof, Soweto, after consuming a pocket of ships bought at a spaza shop. His friends had been admitted to hospital.

Parents in Northern KwaZulu-Natal were shocked late last month when 43 pupils of Ngaqa Primary School in Mtubatuba suffered unbearable stomach aches suspected to be food poisoning after eating snacks allegedly bought from vendors.

Ramaphosa had linked the countrywide tragedies to snacks children bought from tuckshops and street vendors whose stock had been contaminated by highly toxic Terbufos pesticide used to kill rats.

The drive around the city’s CBD and its biggest township made it clear that much work lay ahead for the municipality, which had for years been blamed for failing to deliver basic services.

Businesswoman Nokuthula Mjuqu said her tuckshop ‒ which sells snacks or food items to pupils of nearby schools in France, a low-cost housing area outside Imbali ‒ had a problem with rats destroying her stock.

“These rats come from this overgrown grass,” she said pointing to a swampy open land behind her shop.

However, Mjuqu said she had never used pesticides to kill rats.

“I normally used cement plaster to seal holes to prevent rats from entering my shop. I have always avoided using pesticides in fear of my customers’ and my safety,” she said.

Another local business operator, Mazwi Shandu, expressed concern about residents who disregarded pleas to stop illegal dumping and “arrogantly” continued to do it.

“It is obvious that this is a breeding ground for rats, but there is nothing I can do because people would not listen when I tell them not to dump here.

“Another problem is that the municipality does not come to clear this rubbish or send waste trucks to this area,” he said.

A ward councillor’s assistant, who declined to be named because she was not mandated to speak to the media, said the problem of illegal dumping in the township was ongoing because of people’s “don’t care attitude”.

“We have put up ‘no dump’ signs but people do it anyway and others would tell you ‘if you want to live in a clean area, go to a suburb’,” she said.

She said even waste truck drivers would refuse to go to certain areas.

“Another problem is that new EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) workers have not been employed after the contracts for previous ones were not been renewed.

“Even those EPWP workers are not dedicated in their work as they do a little bit of cleaning in the morning and lie down for the whole day while others go to nearby shebeens to drink,” she said.

This reporter also visited the CBD where a black powder used to kill rats was sold openly on the streets for R10 a small pack.

“With this one, no rat will survive. You just mix it with a mealie-meal and place it where rats normally run,” said a hawker.

The packets of the powder, which this reporter bought, look strikingly similar to Terbufos, which Ramaphosa linked to the children’s deaths and illnesses and made it clear that “it is not allowed to be sold for general household use”.

One packet had no label while another had a photocopied label on which “Rat Poison” was written.

One of the hawkers said he bought the poison from a well-known multi-purpose shop in the CBD.

Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize said the city was making an effort to respond to Ramaphosa’s instruction by “implementing targeted clean-up campaigns in townships and central business districts to remove illegally dumped waste and discourage further contraventions.

“The municipality is actively enforcing its by-laws through dedicated enforcement teams, including municipal peace officers.

“Fines, summonses and compliance notices are regularly issued to those found in contravention of the by-laws.

“We are also conducting weekly blitz operations to monitor compliance and take swift action against offenders,” said Ngcobo.

She said the municipality was conducting awareness campaigns about the consequences of illegal dumping and the importance of adhering to proper waste disposal practices.

South African Local Government Association (Salga) specialist for solid waste management Balanganani Nengovhela said Salga and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment had successfully lobbied to get sufficient waste management infrastructure for municipalities who were previously “unable to procure waste collection trucks and landfill equipment using conditional grants from the national government”.

“Salga is collaborating with National Treasury to investigate necessary reforms within municipalities that could fully unlock economic opportunities in waste management and attract private sector investment, enabling municipalities to operate waste management units as businesses,” said Nengovhela.