CAPE TOWN (AP) – Authorities in Cape Town launched an investigation on Monday after a foul stench swept over the South African city.
City officials inspected sewage facilities for leaks and an environmental health team was activated before the source of the smell was discovered: a ship docked in the harbour carrying 19,000 live cattle from Brazil to Iraq.
Zahid Badroodien, the official in the mayor’s office in charge of water and sanitation, wrote on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, that investigators had confirmed that the source of the “sewage smell blanketing parts of the city” was the cattle ship.
He wrote that the ship was due to depart soon, likely to the relief of residents who had an unpleasant start to their working week.
The ship also has become a target of serious criticism by animal welfare groups.
The National Council of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) sent a veterinary consultant onboard the ship to assess the welfare of the animals, it said.
“This smell is indicative of the awful conditions the animals endure, having already spent over two weeks onboard, with a build-up of faeces and ammonia,” the SPCA said in a statement.
“The stench onboard is unimaginable, yet the animals face this every single day.”
The 190-metre long Al Kuwait is a Kuwaiti-flagged livestock vessel, according to the Marine Traffic website. It docked in Cape Town to load feed for the cattle, the SPCA said.
