When a foul smell so overpowering that locals described it as “unimaginable” drifted over Cape Town this week, the search for the source of the stench that was suffocating the picturesque South African tourist spot led to the city’s harbor.
About a mile away from the dock on Monday morning, Terence van der Walt, a local wine distributor, found himself stuck in traffic when the odor, exacerbated by the hot summer weather, started seeping into his car. The smell was so intense that rolling up his windows seemed pointless.
“It was so repulsive,” Mr. van der Walt recounted on Tuesday, recounting his experience. “It would have been green if this were a cartoon.”
After lingering over Cape Town for several hours, a team from the local environmental health department traced the source of the smell to a 623-foot-long livestock carrier registered in Kuwait — carrying 19,000 cows onboard.
The carrier, Al Kuwait, had arrived at Cape Town’s bustling harbor on Sunday to replenish its feed supplies during its journey from the Port of Rio Grande in Brazil to Iraq, according to shipping data. The cows had been onboard for more than two weeks.
Jacques Peacock, a spokesperson for the national Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, mentioned that it was the ship’s first time docking in South Africa. The organization had secured a court order before the ship’s arrival, allowing inspectors to board the vessel and examine its cargo.
Inspectors found a buildup of feces and ammonia in the cramped holding pens of the animals across several decks. This had created an “unimaginable” stench, the group stated in a release on Monday.
“This odor reflects the horrendous conditions the animals are subjected to,” the statement read.
The organization has been campaigning in South Africa against the sea transportation of live animals, urging the government to prohibit the practice in its waters. They pointed out that such vessels often lack proper ventilation and have unhygienic conditions, putting the animals at risk of being trampled or injured during rough sea voyages. The ships also rarely have onboard veterinarians.
Despite the South African government issuing new guidelines last year for animals being exported from the country, Mr. Peacock mentioned that the S.P.C.A. is now aiming to push for stricter regulations for ships arriving from other livestock-exporting countries.
The ship is owned by the Kuwait-based Al Mawashi company, specializing in livestock trade and transportation with branches in Dubai, South Africa, and Australia. The company did not respond to requests for comments.
The carrier remained at the port on Tuesday and was scheduled to depart South African waters by Wednesday.
Officials instructed the local port authority to ensure that the ship does not discharge any waste into the harbor. Mr. van der Walt mentioned that he had gone swimming in the ocean on Tuesday and found the water to be clear.
Meanwhile, though the odor was originating from outside the city, it served as a concerning reminder to locals dealing with another source of foulness: the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure.
Officials in the mayor’s office swiftly reassured residents that the recent unpleasant smell was not due to raw sewage, as had occurred just weeks earlier when a water pump failed in a northeastern suburb.
Last autumn, heavy rains damaged pipes in another suburb, causing sewage to flow into rivers and wetlands, explained Caroline Marx, a director of Rethink the Stink, a water activism group in Cape Town. Since then, the area has seen around a dozen sewage leaks, she added.
Despite the city increasing its sanitation budget, Ms. Marx noted that Cape Town has been struggling to keep pace with rapid urbanization. In growing informal settlements without basic services, residents often share a water pump and portable chemical toilets.
“The city is far behind where they would like to be,” Ms. Marx remarked.
