RESIDENTS living in North Beach are urging the municipality to act on the increasing number of rodents in the area.
Resident, Rookaya Vawda, said buildings in Nathaniel Isaac Crescent have seen an increase of rodents in the parking areas and have contacted the municipality for an update on a plan of action.
“People have been finding rats on the pavements and in parking areas of buildings. This needs to be addressed as there has been a reported incident of car wires been chewed by rats. The dump site at the corner of Molyneux and Brickhill Road as well as the overgrown grounds of the former Star Children’s Home are probably the reason for the increase in rats, flies and mosquitoes in the area,” said Vawda.
She added that a dead rat had been left lying on a pavement in Marine Parade for five days before it was removed.
Another resident, Pat Pillay, said she felt the rubbish at the Star Home needed to be cleared in order to get rid of the rat infestation.
“It’s costing us a lot of money in order to protect our buildings from these rodents. The Department of Health did their checks after this was also brought to their attention, but the solution is simple – clear the accumulated rubbish and prevent any further dumping at the site,” she said.
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Responding to numerous queries by Berea Mail, eThekwini Municipality’s Deputy Head of Communications Mandla Nsele, said: “When a complaint about rodents is received, the matter is addressed speedily. This complaint has been cascaded to the relevant office.”
Nsele said in order to combat the issue of rodents in the city’s drains, the Roads and Stormwater Management Unit regularly cleans all drains across the city.
“We have noted that some areas in the city have a high rodent population due to the environmental challenges in that area. This area is routinely surveyed and baited but the private property owners also needs to undertake extermination inside their property,” he said.
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