RESIDENTS of Cape Town woke up to a bad smell hitting the CBD and surrounding areas.
Many people didn’t know where the smell came from as it was all over their homes.
“At first, I went to check if my toilet was flashed, but I could tell that this wasn’t kak smell, but it was close to the smell of sewer water. When I stepped outside to go to work, again, the stench was there. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what it was,” said Babra Marezva (45) from Woodstock.
The smell reportedly came from a large vessel attached at a Cape Town Harbour on Monday night, 19 February.
The vessel is carrying 19 000 cattle, and the stench came from the muddy cow dung that has gathered inside.
Animal rights organisations are up in arms, condemning and fighting to end animal exportation of animals in shipping vessels.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said they applied for a court order for them to be allowed on board the vessel.
This is after they were denied access on Monday, 19 February.
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“Personnel from the NSPCA and the Cape of Good Hope SPCA began their inspection of the 19 000 cattle aboard the Al Kuwait yesterday and extend our thanks to the Sea Border SAPS who accompanied us and stayed on board until late last night to ensure the safety of our team.
“The vessel departed Brazil on the 10th of February 2024 and is currently docked at the Cape Town Harbour to load feed for the animals on board before departing for its intended destination in the Middle East,” said SPCA in a statement.
The animal rights organisation said that live export exposes animals to dangerous levels of ammonia, rough seas, extreme heat stress, injuries, dirty conditions, exhaustion and even death. Cramped conditions can lead to diseases that can spread rapidly.
The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) said the cattle are Iraq-bound from Brazil.
Nspca said their Veterinary Consultant, Dr Bryce Marock, has been aboard the vessel since 10pm on Sunday, 18 February, working with the captain to assess the welfare of the animals.
City of Cape Town’s MMC for Community Services and Health Patricia van der Ross condemned the “horrific conditions which have been uncovered aboard the Al Kuwait ship".
She applauded the SPCA for taking action to assess the conditions of the cattle on the ship.
“The city has further called on the Ports Authority and Border Management Authority to monitor any unlawful discharges of waste from the ship into the harbour. So far, no instances of this have been confirmed.
"The city will be further engaging authorities to offer any support within our jurisdiction,” Van der Ross said.
The vessel will leave Cape Town on Wednesday, 21 February.
