Maria David
THE Ongwediva Town Council has been accused of ignoring a plea of residents of the Elyambala residential area to get rid of stray pigs that are destroying their property.
The pigs have been seen in the yards of township residents and many raised concerns over the safety of their own animals and children.
Residents said they counted nearly 100 pigs and piglets in the area and that the stray animals are ripping up their gardens and yards across the township.
According to Mathews Ngesheya a resident of Elyambala, he can hardly sleep at night because of the noise created by the pigs. He said the animals are a nuisance because they keep on damaging well-established backyard vegetable gardens.
“We are left to clean up after the pigs. It has gotten so bad that people cannot even leave their pots on the fire,” said Ngesheya, adding that the scary part of the entire situation is that people are too scared to allow their small children outside because the pigs might attack the babies.
When approached for comment town council spokesperson, Jackson Muma said that a similar situation was reported to the institution last year. He said that at the time a large number of pigs were impounded by the council.
“It could be that that people have started breeding with pigs in the area again, but we will attend to the matter as soon as possible,” said Muma.
He cautioned residents of the Elyambala area to ensure that they keep their pigs in their pens to keep the animals from invading town and people’s gardens.
