A load of rotting offal dumped by a butcher next to the Kowie Ditch in Cobden Street has made life a misery for people living and working in the area.
A load of rotting offal dumped by a butcher next to the Kowie Ditch in Cobden Street has made life a misery for people living and working in the area.
In Wednesday's stifling 36C heat, without a breath of wind, for residents and employees at businesses and institutions in Cobden Street and across the stream, the stench was unbearable.
Worst of all, they feared the disgusting mass of rotting meat, seething with maggots, was a health hazard.
Senior staff member at local NGO Gadra Advice, Yvain Erasmus, said staff at the centre struggled to breathe because of the stink.
"I couldn't eat all day, it was so disgusting," Erasmus said.
Yesterday, with the weather at least 12 degrees cooler and a breeze dissipating the smell, it was slightly better.
"We can't afford to open the door because the smell gets in," Erasmus said.
"We now burn candles and impepho (herbs) to keep the air fresh."
Erasmus said she reported the matter to the Makana health department, but no action had been taken.
The truck was spotted by an employee at a nearby business.
When Grocott's Mail reporters visited the illegal dumping site, they were greeted by a terrible stench and the grim sight of a seething mass of maggots covering a pile of offal around two metres in diameter.
Eyewitness Eric Ngciphu said a truck pulled over in Cobden Street and reversed towards the bushes about the Bloukrantz stream (known as the Kowie Ditch) on Monday afternoon.
"The driver got out and started dumping large chunks in the bush," Ngciphu said.
Owner of Peter Pan pre-school on the north side of the ditch, Tyrone Goliath, said he was worried about health of the children there.
The creche cares for 10 children between the ages of one and four.
Dead donkeys, dogs, overflowing sewage, rubbish and faeces – Goliath has seen it all.
The rotting offal just added to things.
Makana spokesperson Yoliswa Ramokolo was not available for comment at the time of going to print.
Institutions situated in Cobden Road include the Settlers Day Clinic, Siyakubonga funeral parlour and Style Decor.
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