A concerned Matroosfontein resident is gatvol of living next to a rat nest.
Shihaam Ehrenreich, 53, lives in Xyris Street and says her neighbours’ rodent infestation has taken over her home.
She says she is worried about the health of the people living on the property, which was gutted in 2012.
“Five adults and four children aged 14, 11,10 and five, live in the broken house,” she says.
WORRIED: Shihaam Ehrenreich
Gail Lakay, who lives on the property, says the family is
sukkelling.
“Our house burnt seven years ago and we never got help to rebuild. My mother is nearly 70-years-old and we are struggling with a rat and mouse infestation,” she admits.
Shihaam says while in her kitchen on Monday, a rat scurried past her.
“The rat literally ran over my feet and passed me while I stood in my kitchen. We also caught one of them in a mousetrap in our house,” she says.
“I know they are struggling and I regularly try to feed the kids and help the adults find work, but they can’t find jobs.
“I have pleaded with our council workers to clean up the property, but nobody comes out to help.
“I once put a mouse trap outside my house and got seven mice in the trap.
“I once heard the rat run into the bathroom and I chuck[ed] a mousetrap into the bathroom. I heard the rat fighting to get off the mousetrap.”
Shihaanm says they have pleaded with council workers to clean up the property. Picture supplied
Now a desperate Shihaam is begging for help to rid the filth.
“Our houses are semi-detached so we are very close and everything on their property comes to my side,” she explains.
The City of Cape Town said they didn’t receive any complaints from Shihaam, but would send an environmental health practitioner to visit the site.