ZINNIA- OR PONGVILLE?

Zinniaville/ Rustenburg – It is difficult to stay upbeat, even if it is a sunny morning or you have nice plans for the weekend ahead, when confronted by the foul smell filling the air in Zinniaville and its industrial area. On Friday 26 March, Tuesday 30 March and Wednesday 31 March the pong was unbearable, which prompted a call to Platinum Weekly’s offices. 
“This happens at least twice a week. The smell blows over from the Rainbow Chicken-Epol complex. Sometimes the smell comes from the water in the drains”, said a manager working at a business nearby. 
The hawkers across the road selling chips and fruit to commuters and school children confirmed that the stench has become one of those things they simply have to endure, and they recall it being just as bad pre-COVID-19. 
A Platinum Weekly journalist that visited Zinniaville at lunchtime, after receiving the call mid-morning, confirmed that the foul smell, coming from the buildings operated by RCL FOODS, still lingered in the air. 
Infrastructure outside the complex is also in an appalling state. Clearly the roads had not been planned and built to cope with the heavy trucks moving through this industrial zone. Although potholes had been repaired in early March by RLM, the workmanship had not even lasted a month. During our visit, potable water could be seen gushing down a stormwater drain, and a sewer was overflowing and pooling in a pothole which can be better described as a donga.
The environmental manager of the Rustenburg Local Municipality, Lilian Sefike, has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, 8 April with the Zinniaville Rate Payer’s Association, RCL FOODS and the Bojanala District Municipality. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the recurring foul air experienced in the area, the RCL FOODS biogas wastewater management project known as the Waste to Value Plant, water provision and the pending air pollution licence. 
When asked for comment, RCL FOODS corporate affairs director Stephen Heath said that RCL FOODS operates the Epol feedmill, the chicken processing plant, and the Waste to Value plant. “The feedmill and the chicken plant entail dealing with agricultural products and whilst we strive to make these as odour free as possible by using the latest available technology, there are glitches from time to time and odours will be detected. We have been at these premises for more than 40 years and have worked closely with the community, and the local authorities to do what we can to eliminate odours. We have even assisted the RLM by sending our staff to fix burst water pipes, but we can’t do much about the road infrastructure.”
Regarding the Waste to Value Plant, which was completed in December 2020, Heath said that this had been constructed to reduce RCL FOODS water, waste, and carbon footprint. It will help address the inability of the RLM to provide a consistent and adequate supply of water and electricity to meet the industrial area’s needs. The plant will turn poultry production waste into renewable power and clean water.
Heath ended by saying that as a responsible corporate RCL FOODS is committed to work with government, local municipalities, communities, and other stakeholders to reach solutions for issues that arise in their areas of operation.