Lyse Comins
Beachgoers have raised concern about the health hazards of illegal ritual sacrifices of animals on Durban beaches.
People dressed in religious clothing “beating demons” out of people; chicken carcasses washed up on the shore; and dishevelled chickens that have survived rituals and now freely forage for food on the shoreline have become familiar sights on beaches, according to fishermen and surfers.
eThekweni Municipality deputhead of environmental health Neil Larratt said the public slaughter of livestock in public spaces was illegal without a permit and the city was policing the situation.
Surfer and spear fisherman Evan Basson said he had seen people with chickens and goats on the beach at 6am some mornings.
Chicken heads washing up at North Beach, Bay of Plenty and Snake Park had become a grisly sight for surfers.
“Besides the heads being ripped off, I have seen whole chickens washed up that have obviously drowned. It’s a little bit inhumane. I’d like to know whose job it is to pick that up; that’s not cool.
“The worst is it happens on weekends and kids are swimming. They should go far away into the hills and do it,” Basson said.
“And now suddenly they are coming with chickens and goats. I would prefer for that chicken to end up in my KFC bucket,” he said.
Another surfer, Lee van Vuuren, said he had noticed that secluded beaches like Battery Beach were used for the rituals. “They have their rituals on the beach and they go and dunk the guys in the water and look like they are beating demons out the people,” Van Vuuren said.
Diver Marc Byrns said he often saw people dressed in religious clothing at Treasure Beach early in the morning. “I have seen dead animals and a lot of live animals on the beach. I don’t really mind because it’s a deserted beach,” Byrns said.
Reporter Arthi Sanpath said she had been walking on the beach early in the morning and noticed chickens pecking on the shore line.
“I saw chickens that looked very unhealthy and feathers were missing and then a municipal parks department van and two officials got out of a van and caught two of the chickens and put them in the back of the van,” Sanpath said.
Bodyboarder Sheryl Halstead said she had witnessed the slaughter of a chicken at North Beach a year ago.
“There was a man walking with his kid and I heard a noise and he pointed and said they are killing the chicken. I ran to them and started shouting and they quickly slipped off. I was too late, but I made a big fuss of it,” Halstead said.
“I respect the fact that people have different cultures and traditions, but it’s like the right to extend your arm goes as far as my nose starts. When I am bodyboarding and something bumps me, I think: ‘Oh my, is it a carcass?’
“I seriously want this to be addressed because it upsets me and what if I was walking with my niece and they started doing it?” Halstead said.
Professor Isabelle Phiri, head of the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the rituals were part of African Religious or Zulu practices.
“It could be part of the African-instituted churches like Shembe and ZCC (Zion Christian Church) because some of them mix Christian as well as African rituals.
“The major reason for rituals is that the animal and bird will be a substitute for the person to take away whatever it is that is giving the problem. If it is a sickness, it will be taken from the person (and put on the animal),” Phiri said.
“Some rituals require the animal to be killed and in other rituals it has to be set free alive.
“In some cases it has to be done at the sea and at the other times in a forest,” Phiri said.
She said that if a beach was allocated for rituals, the move would take us “back to apartheid days”.
“If you are going to look at health, then there are health concerns when it comes to sewage in the water and people throwing away bottles and papers, so it should be also treated in totality,” Phiri said.
KZN Sharks Board head of research Geremy Cliff said sacrifices on a small scale on the beach were not likely to attract sharks.
“If 200 users each arrived with a chicken it would be a problem but if there were just one or two on a particular day it would not be a problem.
“There is a lot of fishing activity and throwing bait into the water would also attract sharks.
“Certain sharks will scavenge and feed on animals that are swept out to sea, but I’m not sure how attractive a dead chicken is to a shark,” Cliff said.
Larratt said The Abattoir Hygiene Act of 1992 and section 75 and 76 of the Public Health Bylaws regulated ritual slaughter on private property, but did not cover public places.
“Applications for ritual slaughter in public places would not be considered under these regulations except under exceptional circumstances,” Larratt said.
The department issued 110 permits in 2011 and none were for the beachfront.
“Much of the enforcement on the beachfront is conducted under the Sea Shore Regulations and enforced by the law enforcement section of the Parks and Recreation Department,” Laratt said.
He said the department had not received complaints about the rituals. “The Parks Department is aware of this matter and does exercise control of the situation.
“It is, however conceded that on occasions some events may not be picked up.
“The Parks, Recreation and Culture unit will continue to police the situation and take action where required,” Larratt said.