By Helen Bamford
Illegal slaughterhouses commonly known as "slabattoirs" are operating in Cape Town, prompting concerns that sub-standard meat unfit for human consumption is finding its way onto the market.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has slammed the use of unhygienic and inhumane practices at the facilities, which include no pre-stunning, dragging the animals by their feet and slaughtering them in front of each other, which induces panic.
There are no vets to check the animals prior to slaughter and no trained health inspectors to make sure the meat does not contain any potentially harmful parasites.
There is concern that the blood and stomach contents of the slaughtered animals end up in the city's rivers after being dumped down stormwater drains, or in the sewage system.
Some of these informal abattoirs have been operating for years, while others have been established since the closure of the Maitland abattoir at the end of 2005.
Four in Philippi are under investigation by the SPCA, which has already confiscated a number of animals from them.
They are all unlicensed, on land not zoned for abattoirs and are in contravention of the Meat Health Safety Act.
Allan Perrins, chief executive officer of the SPCA, described the butcheries as "health time-bombs" which needed to be shut down to prevent the spread of potentially fatal diseases.
He said the increase in the number of "slabattoirs" was to be expected following the closure of Maitland abattoirs.
"We are not opposed to the humane slaughter of animals, however, there is nothing humane about these establishments which appear to be popping up in areas inhabited by the most vulnerable sectors of our society."
Andries Venter, SPCA chief inspector, said they had issued warnings to the farms, which included Barnes Farm, Sunrise, Saratoga and Qurbaan Farm.
He said the animals, which included sheep, goats, cattle and chickens, were slaughtered in open areas with lots of flies.
"There are bare-minimum standards."
Trevor Carroll, former head of the Maitland abattoir, said unregistered slaughter houses were a health hazard and should be closed down.
"They are totally unacceptable. They operate with no health inspectors, no veterinary control and the animals are treated with cruelty."
He said they had the potential to cause an epidemic.
Carroll said that farmers often took their sickly or lower-quality stock to these informal slaughter houses if they knew they wouldn't be passed at a legitimate abattoir.
"The farmers get paid in cash and turn a blind eye to what happens afterwards."
He said it was often the poor who were getting this uncontrolled meat.
Carroll added that if Cape Town wanted to be seen as a world-class city it needed to control the quality of its meat, even if the city was no longer running the abattoir.
"Maitland used to set the standard. Now there is no standard."
Cape Town's executive director for health, Ivan Toms, said they were aware of the unregistered abattoirs and that at least two had been operating for more than 20 years.
He said his department, together with the department of agriculture, city land use and planning and the SPCA, were looking at coming up with a more "accommodating approach".
"We won't just close them down. We don't want a draconian solution but we also won't turn a blind eye."
Toms said they were working with the owners and educating them about what to do with things like blood and offal. He added that the facilities were in areas which had septic tanks so the blood didn't go into the sewage system.
Imam Yasin Harris of the Muslim Judicial Council's halaal department said they were unaware of any halaal abattoirs in Philippi.
But he said there were places that did slaughtering for ritual purposes for festivals.