Don’t cry foul over local owl A column by Dumisani Nana I live in a town square otherwise popularly known as Flats in Lwandle Township (Hostel). My flat is situated directly behind the meat stalls, vegetable stalls, mini restaurants and traditional beer halls. This is the main street of Maholweni (Hostel). This is where the business activity or hype takes place every day of the week, but it becomes an apiary on weekends with long queues of both cars and pedestrians all waiting to buy the tasty shisanyama (braai’d meat). True to the old adage that says one man’s meat is another man’s poison. The vendors are making a lot of money and have reduced unemployment significantly, as they employ local women to do the job daily. This is very commendable considering that they also have families to feed. However, this has brought rodents and rats as big as cats, freely roaming the streets and invading people’s houses. There are so many and they are so fierce that even cats run for their lives on encountering one of these rats. They eat bones and leftovers from many meat stalls, their food is readily available that they never go to their dens with empty stomachs. Everyone is complaining about these rats, including the vendors themselves. They say there is nothing they can do about it as these meat stalls are their livelihood and the rats need the carcase to survive. Now an uninvited guest has appeared out of nowhere in the form of an owl. Nobody knows anything about this guest or is taking ownership but there is a rumour doing the rounds and the blame game has started. Some are accusing others of witchcraft and wizardry. This resident, an unwelcomed guest, does not have one home, it moves from one place to another. It has been seen on rooftops, on top of cars and in many hostel doorways. If it comes and sits in your doorway or rooftop people say it belongs to you. By crook or by hook, you’ll be associated with witchcraft and bewitchment. Some people and infants have died in many places where this owl has been spotted and people pointed fingers to others as witches. Some neighbours are not on talking terms as a result of this owl. If a bad luck befalls your neighbour and the owl has been seen sitting on your property, you are in big trouble. Some call you names and others threaten to kill you or burn you alive. This has caused some tensions as no one knows where this owl came from. In many black communities owls are associated with evil, it is believed they are sent by evil people to do evil things to their enemies or out of jealousy or to eliminate competition. Even some vendors believe that this owl is sent by their competitors to doom their businesses so that theirs can be a success. This has caused a rift between the people who until recently had a healthy competition. At times and in fear, young boys have chased this owl but because it cannot clearly see during daylight, it will attempt to escape and in doing so, will fall on many rooftops, eventually choosing to sit or hide on one. The person living in the place where the owl chose its hideout, is in for wrath and insults as the one who sent it. They say it’s running to its owner or its home. I cannot claim to be speaking on behalf of the community or people of Lwandle hostel, but this has to stop. Owls are the natural predators of rodents. I don’t know where this owl came from but I can assure all and sundry that this owl is there for one purpose only, to eat rodents. This owl was never sent by anyone, but it saw its food chain and decided to stick around as there are plenty of rodents. This poor thing is not here to harm anyone but to survive. Why can’t we coexist with this harmless creature, as it helps us to get rid of rodents. These rats are everyone’s problem and this owl is everyone’s solution to the problem. Why kill it or play a dangerous blame game that has the potential of harming and hurting other innocent people. This bird is not evil but has come for food, which is in abundance from the meat stalls, vegetable stalls and uncollected rubbish bins. All the people who are bothered by rodents can speak to Councillor Jongidumo Maxheke and ask him to speak to City Health on their behalf about rodents and rats. Then the SPCA must be invited to come and catch the owl and take it to a place of safety. Let’s not accuse innocent people and make allegations of witchcraft and wizardry, let us not make ourselves barbarians who rejoice other people’s suffering or misfortunes. Let the people live their lives and let the owl live its life. The only enemy here is the rodents. If you fancy yourself a top notch columnist, please submit your columns to kasi@media24.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 09:39:44 +0000
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