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New research bites back at rodent problem in townships

29 August 2025 | Story Precious Shamase

Pictured are Prof Steven Belmain, Dr Hayley Thompson, and Prof Lourens Swanepoel during their visit to South Africa to kick off a collaborative One Health research project aimed at addressing rodent-related health risks in townships – an initiative that unites local and international experts in the pursuit of safer, community-driven solutions.

A collaborative research project is underway in South African townships to combat the pervasive rodent problem and its impact on human health. Led by Prof Peter Taylor, Professor-in-Residence in the UFS Afromontane Research Unit and affiliated with the UFS Department of Zoology and Entomology, the initiative brings together experts from the UK's Natural Resources Institute (NRI), including Prof Steven Belmain and Dr Hayley Thompson, and South African institutions such as the UFS and the University of Venda.

This 'One Health' approach acknowledges the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental well-being. The team visited laboratory facilities at the UFS campuses in Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa, the latter being near Phuthaditjhaba township – a key research site alongside Lwamando in Limpopo.

The multidisciplinary project involves local farmers and university departments, integrating expertise in advanced techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry, molecular virology and microbiology, genome sequencing, and parasitology. Social scientists, such as Dr Shingirayi Chamisa, a lecturer in the UFS Department of Industrial Psychology, are also involved to understand community perceptions and current rodent control methods, including the impact on mental health.

The research will investigate the health risks associated with rodent infestations, including food contamination with poison residues and fungal toxins, and the transmission of disease to humans and livestock through direct contact or parasites. Practical trials will evaluate methods to reduce food contamination.

Significantly, the project will explore novel and humane rodent control strategies, such as contraceptive baits, offering a safer alternative to rodenticides. Recent concerns about rodenticide-related deaths in townships have increased pressure for safer, ecological solutions.

This research holds significant promise for developing sustainable and effective solutions to mitigate the negative impact of rodent pests on the health and livelihoods of township residents. The international and local collaboration, guided by a holistic 'One Health' perspective, marks a crucial step towards addressing this challenging issue. Prof Taylor expressed his appreciation for the enthusiastic engagement of all collaborators, highlighting the potential for a truly transdisciplinary project to find meaningful and ecologically sound solutions to rodent-borne pathogens and food contamination in South African townships.

News Archive

“I, too, am an African,” says visiting US drama professor

2013-03-06

Africans are of blood and of soil, says Prof Charles Dumas in his inaugural lecture at the UFS. Speaking on the topic I, too, am an African, Prof Dumas reminisced about his life and experiences on the continent.
Photo: Minette Grove
05 March 2013

Lecture (pdf)

What is an African? Is it those born in Africa, defined in racial and genealogical terms, or those who identifies with the continent in nationality and ancestral location? Did the descendants of enslaved Africans in the US, the Caribbean or Brazil lose their Africaness when their ancestors were put on slave ships to the New World?

These were some of the questions raised by Prof Charles Dumas, visiting senior professor in the Department Drama and Theatre Arts, in his inaugural lecture at the university.

Proclaiming attachment to the continent, Prof Dumas told his audience there are two types of Africans: Africans of the blood and Africans of the soil. In a speech titled, “I, too, am an African,” he stated that he lay claim to his ancestral birthright not because of blood relationship to an identifiable ethnic group or birthright to the continent, but because he earned it.

“I suggest another way that one can be an African, is through trial and struggle to be reborn an African in spirit. It is a ritual journey that may be taken by anyone. For, after all, if we are to believe the anthropologists who tell us that human life as we know it began in the Olduvai Gorge, genetically we are all African in origin.”

Prof Dumas, a senior professor at Penn State University in the USA, took the audience on a journey of his experiences on the continent, starting in 1978 when he first came to South Africa as a legal observer. Noticing the changes between Apartheid and today’s South Africa, he said this generation are committed to learn from each other – and that is the most important, he said.

“With their hopes and aspirations they earnestly desire to live in the new South Africa that we promised them. We must support them in their effort. It is time we stored our old baggage in the closet.”

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