Cape Town – Community members in De Doorns have raised concerns about the burial of carcasses of pigs suspected of having died of swine flu in a field close to a residential area.
According to residents, one of the graves was not closed properly and dogs were seen digging up the grave, removing the carcasses and feeding on it, and spreading the flu-like symptoms to community members.
Resident Norman Cremon said flu-like symptoms were becoming common among community members after the burial of the carcasses.
“The day when the people came to make the hole, there were dogs that were going to dig the stuff out. This was so scary, because after that some people were getting swine flu-like symptoms. Why couldn't they bury it in another place?” asked Cremon.
Community leader Shaun Andrew said that at the end of June, pigs that were being kept in informal settlements started dying mysteriously and the owners started slaughtering them to curb the spread of disease.
“The municipality was contacted and they were informed by someone from the Department of Agriculture to bury the pigs close to where the pigs were kept in order to curb the spread of the swine flu. The municipality did this, but did not close one of the graves properly.
“The dogs then started to eat on the carcasses and spread the virus among the people of the nearby area. The area is called Weltevrede Farm at De Doorns.
“Many community members became sick as a result of the spread of the virus. Many learners from the nearby schools were diagnosed with the same symptoms and were absent from school.
“The smell of death and decay was everywhere. Carcasses were lying around in the field and in people’s yards
“There is a certain procedure that needs to be followed when disease-ridden animals are to be dealt with. This was not followed by the incumbents responsible.
“The negligence or intent with which the matter was dealt with is an indication that people from informal settlements do not get the same treatment as people from affluent areas. Our pleas with the municipality fall on deaf ears,” said Andrew.
Breede Valley deputy mayor, Juben von Willingh, said that having seen concerns raised by community members on Facebook, inspectors went to investigate, but they didn’t find any carcasses lying around.
“The information that I got from the municipality is that a 6.7m hole was dug and last Friday, based on the post I saw on Facebook, I sent inspectors to check this out, however no carcass was found.
“In regards to the health concerns, I sit on the health council and I didn't get a notification or indication of people getting sick. To be honest, this entire phenomenon is bizarre, and we’ll be engaging with community members and community leaders further to get to the bottom of this,” said Von Willingh.