Diederik van't Hof and Abel Mukwevho bring a few of Joburg's 'super rats' to the studio
Rat expert Diederik van't Hof has been hands-on in dealing with Johannesburg's rat problem. He will speak to Rian about the progress he has made so far.
Residents of Johannesburg have been contending with a growing rat problem for several years. It appears the rat breeds that are running rampant are of meuch hardier stock than those of days gone by. This makes getting rid of them very difficult.
A report in the Sunday Times on 18 February stated that the rats in Johannesburg were 'getting bigger due to the increase in food availability'.
In townships specifically, there is a lot of waste (e.g. when food is thrown out or left to go bad) and this is where the rats get the protein that makes them grow so big. Rats are also smarter, as they have learned how to avoid eating poison.
Rat expert Diederik van't Hof of Roof Rats has been tackling the rodent problem head-on. He caught Johannesburg's record-breaking rat, nicknamed 'Ratzilla', weighed in at 661g and measured 40cm from nose to tail. The largest rat that had previously been recorded weighed in at 500g.
Diederik and his business partner Abel Mukwevho, who was the brains behind their innovative Hamelin trap, brought some of the wild rats into the studio.
Abel and Diederik spoke extensively about the work that they do, saying the problem is rife in townships specifically.