Fears of swine flu and complaints from residents about the awful smell from a piggery have lead to the removal of 16 swine from a backyard in Joza.
Fears of swine flu and complaints from residents about the awful smell from a piggery have lead to the removal of 16 swine from a backyard in Joza.
Veronica Ndyolashe said her husband, who works with animals, brought the pigs to their property after a building collapsed on the farm that they were on. She said they had not been there for long when the municipality came to talk to them. They were given until today to remove the pigs that were put in a small sty on their property.
Residents expressed anger and fear that the pigs are in such close proximity. A resident of a local old age home (who prefers to remain anonymous) said, "the pigs make me very angry." She said pigs are dirty and she could not understand why they live with people. The old age home surrounds the house where the pig sty was set up.
Other complaints included the "bad smell" – especially when the wind blows. Wandisile Nqgontsha, a local, said: "We are all worried about getting swine flu." Other residents also voiced concerns about children in the area contracting swine flu from the pigs.
Makana spokesperson, Thandy Matebese said: "People are not allowed to keep their livestock in residential areas."
