In suburban streets residents are greeted with sights more closely associated with an abattoir.
Walking along Rooihout Avenue, residents discovered the remains of a slaughtered cow in a street-side rubbish bin on May 5. The bones had been stuffed into a plastic bag and squeezed into the concrete bin. In a similar incident, the bones and hide of an animal were placed in a plastic bag with a piece of hide still with the attached tag having fallen out and onto the grass.
The occurrence is a regular one, as one morning walker relayed how the pile of animal offcuts had been left to rot in the bin for two weeks. The smell from the fly-infested bin was so rancid it forced the walker to cross the road to avoid the mess. The two-week stench was removed by Pikitup but the new batch of unwanted refuse was dumped just a few days later.
Welridge Residents Association (WRA) has reported the matter to the SPCA and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD).
The matter falls outside the ambit of the SPCA but JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla advised, “People are not allowed to dispose livestock carcasses in this manner as it might cause a health hazard, and it’s really gratuitous. We encourage members of the public who witness people disposing carcasses inappropriately to contact the City’s emergency number 011 375 5911 or 082 779 1361.”
The need to catch the culprits in the act is paramount to solving the matter, and doing so requires catching the culprit in the act. Surveillance is needed and WRA’s biggest goal is to erect cameras around the Rooihout Avenue Park to monitor the community asset.
This can only be made possible by increased buy-in from Welridge residents.
WRA chairlady Audrey Vrachionidis elaborated, “We have more than 94 residents living or bordering on the greenbelts but very few members. It costs the members in excess of R15 000 monthly to assist City Parks to maintain it to the standard that makes it aesthetically pleasing and safe to walk in. Not only that, crime from the greenbelts has been minimal since maintaining it as we do.”
