An “unpleasant” stench covered Cape Town. The city suspected a sewage leak. The real trigger: a ship transporting 19,000 head of cattle.
Cape Town residents woke up yesterday with a strong smell in their noses. The center of the second largest city South Africa it smelled like manure. “It ruined my day,” a Cape Town resident told the British BBC. “Every time the elevator opened, the smell entered the office and stuck in my throat like a bad taste.” The stench of excrement and ammonia invaded the commercial district of the provincial capital and covered the west of the city.
Initially, a leak in the sewage network was suspected. But then it was revealed: The Kuwait freighter”Al-Kuwait” with 19,000 head of cattle on board was responsible for the smell, confirmed the mayor's water and sanitation team Zahid Badroodien on platform X (formerly Twitter):
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Animal rights activists are sounding the alarm
But it wasn't just the smell that caused uproar: the animal protection group Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) they were allowed to board the ship by court order and spoke of “terrible conditions” for the animals. “Inadequate hygiene and lack of veterinary care are obvious. We will not hesitate to take criminal action if necessary,” the animal rights activists wrote in a statement on the social platform Facebook.
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Also the Liberal Party city hall Democratic Alliance condemned the conditions of detention. The city also asked the port authority to investigate whether animal waste was dumped at sea.
The “Al-Kuwait” left Cape Town port prematurely. The ship was originally supposed to load animal feed on board by Wednesday. Target of 19 thousand cattle, started at the beginning of February Brazil of, is the Iraq.