By Zara Nicholson and Nwabisa Msutwana-Stemela
Hunting for moles and other small animals to eat has become something of an art for the poor residents of White House Village informal settlement in Belhar, especially among the young boys.
When a Weekend Argus team visited the settlement this week, most of the young boys in the area were out hunting animals for their next meal. They use a combination of sticks with nails, knives, traps and fast reflexes to catch moles, pigeons and even snakes.
And the younger residents of the Belhar informal settlement are not alone in this - residents in many other Cape Flats informal settlements also hunt for food.
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'... as long as there is something in the stomach' Jonathan Jacobs, 32, of White House Village, said hunting for animals, especially moles, was "normal" to him as he had often eaten them. He is unemployed and collects copper from old radios, television sets and microwaves for cash. But hunting is an easier option for food.
Jacobs said he and his girlfriend and four children all ate moles and were not worried about whether they would make them sick. "We don't know if it is good to eat moles but as long as there is something in the stomach. It tastes like chicken, it just takes time to prepare."
According to Jacobs, his children have never been sick from eating moles.
Jerome van der Westhuizen, a leader in the informal settlement, said life was very hard at White House Village. He added that they did not have a problem with the young boys hunting and actually encouraged them to hunt instead of turning to crime.
Another resident, George du Preez, described moles as "very clean animals" because they ate plants. He said he often caught them in his little garden.
'... who knows what could happen to them?' Dr Rafiq Khan, a well known Cape Town paediatrician, called the shortage of food and the need to hunt to survive a "social emergency". "I am extremely shocked to hear that this is the kind of thing these kids have to resort to.
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