Late last night 15 month old Mzomjani Mvunyiswa was attacked by a giant rant and bitten on the hand, leg and forehead.

Mzomjani is the third infant to be attacked by a rat in the settlement this year. In January Nkosi Cwaka died after a rat attack and in July Wandile Cikwayo was seriously injured when a rat gnawed at her fingers.

These attacks are a direct consequence of the failure to provide adequate refuse collection to shack settlements. The movement does what it can to organise clean up days, weekly fires to burn the rubbish and so on. But despite years of struggle around this issue, and many promises, refuse collection remaims entirely irregular and inadequate. The remains from the last fire have still not been picked up despite promises that this would be done quickly.

This morning a 2 month old baby, Wandile Cikwayo, was attacked by a rat that gnawed her fingers very badly. An ambulance was called but they refused to come and directed Wandile's mother, Nonhlanhla, to the local clinic. However the security guards at the clinic were chasing people away saying that there were only two nurses on duty and that the people must come back another day.

Abahlali managed to arrange for a comrade with a car to take Nonhlanhla and her daughter to King Edward Hospital.

Nonhlanhla Cikwayo with her 2 month old daughter Wandile