October 6, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
THOUGH it looks like any other house in Yeoville from a distance, the green house surrounded by a durawall at the corner of Grafton and Hunter streets is a priority on health environmental officer Jerry Thanyane's bad buildings list.
"This is one of the few bad buildings in Yeoville. The building was abandoned by its former owner after a fire broke out and badly damaged the interior. Consequently, the house was invaded by squatters who have settled in and made the house their home," says Thanyane, Region 8's environmental health officer.
A peep over the wall reveals a group of women and men sitting against the wall engaged in a drunken argument as they sip opaque beer from tin mugs. The stench emanating from a metre-high pile of rubbish at one corner of the yard is choking. A grimy young girl carrying an even grimier child emerges from the dark interiors followed by a swarm of flies.
"I have to be tactical in dealing with these people. They can be dangerous. I deal with the person that I have identified as the 'leader'. That way I am able to discuss health-related issues like the dangers of keeping waste in their midst. I have asked Pikitup to remove the rubbish but it seems they haven't done so, yet," says Thanyane.
Currently, the "leader" of the house is out and after a word with one of the men and a quick peek at the surroundings from the gateway, Thanyane hastily retreats from the formidable premises.
Thanyane's section in Region 8 covers Bellevue and Yeoville. Each morning he prioritises establishments to be visited and complaints from residents are considered in terms of urgency.
Thanyane's agenda consists of an inspection of food premises that include restaurants, cafes and fast-food outlets, dwellings or "accommodation establishments", crèches, informal trading areas, schools, clinics and homes (old people's homes and orphanage homes).
"As an environmental health officer, my other task is to promote health amongst communities. Health promotion entails investigating causes to come up with possible solutions to health problems. If people are fond of relieving themselves on a certain spot, my job is to find out why, then I come up with a solution, for example, a suggestion to the City Council to build a toilet in the vicinity. I sell health as a product as opposed to law enforcement," explains Thanyane.
Two blocks away from Hunter Street, on Muller, is a large, white Victorian house. The paint has peeled off in most places and the steps leading to the burglar-barred patio are broken. "The neighbour complained bitterly about waste water flowing from this building into his yard. I was here yesterday and I have to make sure the owner fixed the leakage," Thanyane says.
Behind the house the blocked manhole had been cleared. "Sometimes I have to use threats to make perpetrators comply with my instructions. The people who live here don't own the place, they pay 'slum lords' who come and collect rent every month. It is sometimes difficult to track the owner down."
Rockey/Raleigh Street is the hub of cosmopolitan Yeoville where the suburb's hotspots, shops, formal and informal trading and recreation areas are located. At the corner of Fortesque and Raleigh streets is Nandos, the chain fast food outlet. Nandos is pristine. The floors are spotless and the food preparation area is well maintained, a shiny extraction funnel over the grilling area being the most conspicuous facility. "The funnel is a prerequisite in an area where food is prepared. The funnel takes out all the fumes generated by the cooking and helps to keep a kitchen smoke-free and hygienic," explains Thanyane.
Inspecting a place like Nandos is "a mere formality" to Thanyane but he makes sure he visits such places regularly to ensure the shop "keeps up the standard". An establishment that does not meet health and hygiene requirements can either receive a warning, a fine or closure depending on the severity of the offence.
On entering a food establishment, an environmental health officer does a general inspection of ceilings, walls and floors. "Sinks and tables in a food preparation area should preferably be of stainless steel. Stainless steel is easy to clean and does not easily harbour dirt and bacteria. Ventilation and lighting should also be checked as bacteria breed easily in damp and dark areas. Cracked walls and floors also provide breeding ground for bacteria."
Storage facilities like fridges and deep freezers are examined to ensure they comply with health regulations. According to Thanyane, the atmosphere is full of bacteria which thrive in food in the right temperature conditions.
"Food shouldn't be kept in storage between seven and 65 degrees because these are ideal conditions for bacteria breeding. One instrument that an environmental health officer should carry around is a special thermometer that measures temperature of prepared packaged food in restaurants. I make sure that shops sell hygienic food to customers or we would have cases of food poisoning in our hands," Thanyane says.
Staff are also checked for compliance with health by-laws. Head gear, overalls and gloves where necessary must be worn by staff working in the food preparation area or by those who handle food.
A "general inspection" of Buddies Supermarket at the corner of Becker and Bezuidenhout and Supersaver Supermarket along Raleigh is next on the officer's agenda and the inspection reveals satisfactory results for Thanyane. "Squeaky clean places such as these make my job very easy," jokes Thanyane.
Before a restaurant, café or shop begins selling prepared food to the public they have to apply for a health certificate. At the corner of Fortesque and Hunter streets a nondescript shop has intentions to open up a restaurant to sell West African food. The food preparation area of the shop, though, does not have an extraction funnel and, according to Thanyane, does not qualify to be issued with a health certificate at the moment.
In addition to inspecting certain establishments, environmental health officers are always on the lookout for possible threats to public health, like uncollected refuse or dumping sites. "There are some areas which we consider as hotspots, that is, health problem areas that pose a big threat to public health. When confronted with such cases, health officials from other regions around Joburg come together to form a blitz and we work on the hotspots," explains Thanyane.
Agape Innercity Project, a safe house for abandoned children in Yeoville is home to 10 children. The project applied for a health certificate and, according to the matron of the home, Martha Nyathi, is in desperate need for the licence. "In order for the home to operate as a fully fledged children's home, the certificate is essential. Without the certificate the home may not get food and other donations from non-governmental organisations," explains Nyathi.
After an inspection of the kitchen, ablution facilities and sleeping quarters, Thanyane is satisfied with the overall outlook of the home "except for a few nitty-gritties that have to be fixed first".
"Places such as these are of great benefit to society and it will help to speed up the process so that the home gets a certificate," says Thanyane.
Rockey Street Market is a big formal trading place for hawkers at the corner of Bedford and Rockey streets and forms the last area on Thanyane's agenda for the day. The market has a food section, where fruits and vegetables are sold, and a clothing section. Thanyane works together with the manager of the market to ensure that hawkers adhere to City health by-laws. "My job is to see to it that vegetable and fruit vendors are educated properly about hygiene in handling food products. Those selling food stuffs on the pavements also fall under my jurisdiction because they pose a bigger threat to public health," Thanyane explains.
At the end of the day, Thanyane compiles a report on all premises visited and lists problems encountered at each establishment. The lists are compiled daily by all officers and added to a compilation of statistics on the general state of public health in the City of Johannesburg.
The municipality's health department has environmental health officers operating from offices in all the city's 11 regions. Residents who have queries or complaints related to public health may contact Joburg Connect on 011 375 5555. Inner city residents can contact the health officers on 011 376 8500 or visit the People's Centre at CJ Cronje Building 1st Floor, 80 Loveday Street in the city centre.
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