It is not unusual to see herds of cattle roaming down residential streets or grazing on pavements and even inside front yards in the suburb of Belmont Park in Kraaifontein.
The area between Plantation Road and the avenues covering about 10 street blocks adjacent to Maroela Road in Bloekombos has been the most problematic over the last six years with no solutions is sight, say residents.
While the City of Cape Town in terms of its animal keeping bylaw prohibits cattle from being kept on residential land, the necessary law enforcement seems to be absent.
“On most days the livestock is out here with herders pushing them forward towards the houses for grazing,” says resident Errol Flint.
“They came into our yards and as a result our gardens are destroyed and dung piles up every day.”
As a result the area is infested with flies.
“We are very concerned about health issues. We pick up the dung in our yard, but I don’t know what happens to the dung in the streets. We have never had as many flies as we have now,” says Lynette Flint.
According to the Flints there are currently two herds of cattle coming from paddocks in the informal settlement on the other side of Maroela Road.
“In the one herd I counted about 50 cattle and in the other smaller one, about ten. The other night the cattle stayed out until about 19:00 in the evening and when we approached the herdsmen they ran away,” says Lynette.
“We doubt that the animals have enough space to graze or food sources in the informal settlement.”
The Flints say they have never had any success with the City’s law enforcement.
“We have called law enforcement countless times over the years, and we are lucky if we see a van at all. I would call them at 09:00 in the morning only to see a van that evening.”
According to the Flints they have seen no efforts being made by the City to address the problem.
“It’s been years and we are desperate. This is a real problem yet there is no help coming our way. Where do we go and what do we do?”
Section 29 of the City’s animal keeping bylaw states that no person may keep cattle on any residential premises without a City permit, unless the property is zoned for agricultural or farming purposes.
Additionally the City’s animal policy underlines the importance to ensure that the keeping of animals does not lead to public and environmental health issues and that animals are not a source of danger or nuisance, in which case such animals may be removed by the City.
In response to a media inquiry Wayne Dyson spokesperson for law enforcement says the City’s animal control unit (ACU) do receive complaints from the area that are investigated.
“The ACU has only 12 officers who operate throughout the metropole and try to attend to all the hot spot areas. Officers do operations or random patrols in the area, but on many occasions do not find any livestock,” he says. “It is important for residents to register a complaint by phoning the City’s emergency number for the ACU officers to respond as soon as possible.”
Complainants may phone the City’s emergency numbers on 107 from a landline and 021 480 7700 from a cell phone.
