Johannesburg - While heavy rains in Limpopo, particularly the Vhembe area, may have brought relief in the form of higher dam levels, residents are now concerned by an outbreak of house flies.
Since the beginning of February, villagers have experienced an increasing number of flies.
Azwihangwisi Masevhe, 43, of Tshithuthuni village, said flies had invaded her home and appeared to be multiplying. “They are so irritating," she said. "They fly and land on food. We have to throw away all our leftovers because we are not sure if flies have been breeding in it or not.”
Nndanduleni Matodzi, 53, of Tshidongololwe village, is worried the flies will make her two grandchildren sick.
“They are always on a mission or competition, trying to catch as many flies they can," she said. "I warn them not to, but they do it anyway, and that scares me because they can get ill by doing that. There are so many flies around now and even insect sprays don’t do much to help. When you spray they disappear for a while, but then they come back.”
A nurse at the Thengwe Clinic, Mmberegeni Nethengwe, said they had not seen any patients with illnesses that could be attributed to the flies.
“Houseflies are common insects, and we consider them part of our everyday life. They feed on any kind of food they can access in the house."
"It is possible for them to transmit diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and even tuberculosis. They can also contaminate food and make it inedible."
“It is through this contact with the item they are feeding upon and even direct contact with people that disease-causing agents are acquired and passed on.”
Masevhe said: “We need help to stop these flies or even just reduce them for our own safety.”
Nethengwe added that “because there has not been a fly-related incident reported, we strongly advise people to try to prevent flies from multiplying by reducing or eliminating their breeding sites."
"It is also important to protect food and eating utensils, and stop people from making contact with flies.”