Residents of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas in KwaZulu Natal run the risk of suffering from further respiratory diseases as toxic smoke continues to blanket the City, forcing many residents to flee their homes. The smoke emissions, which environmentalists have warned could potentially carry cancer-causing chemicals, emanates from a local landfill site that has been continuously burning for over a week. The Environmental Affairs Portfolio Committee conducted a site visit over the weekend and recommended that the landfill site be shutdown and removed