Creepy crawlies make themselves at home in Laboria
Businesses in the Laboria have reported an increase in the appearance on snakes and scorpions in their vicinity.
POLOKWANE – This is the result of residents in rural areas burning the veld around their homes to drive out these creatures.
Residents who live along Nelson Mandela Drive in Polokwane and in semi-urban areas like Greenside and Extension 44 say they are protecting themselves by removing dangerous elements from their homes by burning the veld. Unfortunately, this leads to the snakes and scorpions fleeing to businesses located nearby.
One of the rural residents, Lucas Ramapele, told Review it is not their intention to cause damage or harm to the nearby businesses, they only want to keep themselves and their children safe from venomous creatures.
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“These snakes and scorpions come into our homes. Burning the veld is the only way we can chase them away and keep ourselves safe,” he explained.
Review spoke to a business manager in Laboria, Willem Hough, about the issue.
“The scorpions and snakes that flee to our businesses due to the burning veld makes it hazardous for us to come to work,” he said.
Employees are less willing to come to work if they fear being bitten or stung, which in turn leads to an income loss for the business as productivity declines, generating less income.
That, along with the costs associated with fumigating the premises to get rid of the dangers, lead to the business being unable to operate while the fumigation is being done and an additional expense for the fumigation services.
“Two of my employees have been stung by scorpions in the span of a few weeks. This means I cannot operate my business at full capacity due to my employees being unable to assist me,” Hough continued.
Polokwane Municipality Spokesperson, Matshidiso Mothapo, said open fires pose a danger as they can easily get out of control and put many lives at risk. They are therefore strictly prohibited.
Working on Fire (WoF) Spokesperson, Matema Gwangwa, urged the communities not to burn the veld as a wildfire could spark and as it is fire season, locals should avoid starting fires.
Gwanwa suggested alternative measures of getting rid of dangerous pests around the house.
A manager at a local pest control company, Derick Burger, said when it comes to scorpions, the best thing to do is to prevent them from entering your house. He said that there are steps that can be taken to ensure scorpions don’t become an issue.
These are:
- Eliminate all excess moisture, as scorpions tend to go into houses looking for water.
- Get rid of bugs in the house as they are a food source for scorpions.
- Get rid of unused structures around the house and store things like boxes on shelves and not on the ground.
- Seal off holes that scorpions could use to enter your house.
