A NIGHT of celebration in Zululand again took its toll on domestic animals and wildlife alike.
Fireworks reportedly started at 9pm on the 31 December and continued through the next day and the following night and residents have had enough, showing their dissatisfaction on social media sites.
Wesley Robertson wrote on the Zululand Observer Facebook page, ‘Anyone else have no sleep due to the noise from Veldenvlei the sports ground? Started at 9 PM tilll 6 AM ! When is the Municipality going to do something about this?’
Freddie Dirk Oosthuizen posted ‘Fireworks must be banned in South Africa. It is a fire hazard, not good for animals and is a risk for children. Every year some child gets hurt. There is a law against fireworks and where it can be display, but it seems to be ignored’.
Lezette Vos even phoned the Fire Department in Richards Bay and she said they told her there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Richards Bay SPCA were inundated with phone calls from unhappy residents complaining their pets were cowering under beds and tables while others were trying everything to escape the loud bangs and blinding flashes.
A number of pets were found roaming the streets and it was reported by the SPCA there are still dogs on the streets looking for their way back home. Even though a few had been claimed by their owners, there are still more waiting to be fetched.
Empangeni SPCA Senior Inspector Rolland Fivaz said they had also received a number of complaints and had sent out units to investigate. ‘Most people understood when they were informed that what they were doing was illegal and they stopped,’ Fivaz explained.
‘What was also frightening was the number of children who were playing with fireworks; some were as young as five-years-old. I am thankful but amazed that there were not any serious accidents’.
While residents were complaining and the fireworks did continue, the SAPS were on the move and confiscated a number of illegal fireworks and fireworks that were in the possession of minors.
Two of the worst areas as far as the discharge of fireworks is concerned were Veldenvlei at the uMhlathuze Regional Sports Grounds and the Small Craft Harbour.
How a permit was granted, if one was, when the sports grounds are in such close proximity to a hospital, has been questioned.
However Fivaz said this year the SPCA would be making an early start on banning the use of fireworks and if they could ‘get them banned outright, it would be victory for animals and residents in Zululand’.
