Die Duine Primary School on the corner of 1st Avenue and Antelope Road, Lotus River, has had to include pest control in their monthly budget as the constant dumping on the pavement outside the premises has caused a rodent infestation.
Principal Anthea Adriaanse, who was also a teacher at the school and has been there for 25 years, said the dumping in Antelope Road has been ongoing since she started.
She said together with the school governing body they have considered putting up cameras around the school grounds to catch those guilty of dumping as well as the criminals who are continuously breaking into the school.
In a desperate attempt to deal with the rat infestation, the school is forking out money to employ the services of the Rentokil Pest Control company who have installed rat traps on the school grounds and close to where the dirt and rubble get dumped.
“Firstly, it is unhygienic, it is an eyesore and our learners have to walk out by the gate as there is only one entrance and exit so they have to walk past that dump and you do not know what is being dumped there. Some of the children might see something in there and want to go and scratch as that is children’s nature, they are inquisitive,” says Ms Adriaanse.
Mayoral committee member for area south, Eddie Andrews said the City’s environmental health practitioner has conducted an assessment of the situation and engaged with the relevant departments to have the waste removed.
As for the rat infestation, he said that staff will do block-baiting, a form of rat poisoning, of the area once the waste removal has been completed and that regular monitoring of the area will be conducted.
