Although fresh vegetables are fertilised by human faeces, the human manure is safe to use.
“We produce 12 tonnes of this manure which is popular with vegetable farms,” said Mavimbela. She, however, dispelled any suspicions of unhealthy vegetables circulating in the market.
Mavimbela, who gained support from a Joburg Water chemistry specialist, said the human manure was better than cow dung and spurned allegations that it was loaded with chemicals.
“We treat it first before selling it. The product goes through a lot of processes before eventually qualifying for farming use. This [manure] is not faeces, but a by-product of sewage,” said Mavimbela.
She, however, could not vouch for the user-friendliness of the human manure due to the stench that accompanies the product.
“Are you saying faeces is a major component of this [manure] or is faeces not a component,” asked a journalist.
“Of course this is from faeces, but that does not mean it is raw human excretion,” said Mavimbela and added, with a laugh, “These huge potatoes, giant and fresh green [vegetables] on the market are from this [product].”
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