Parks get refurbished
KwaThema – Children of the Reedville community can now enjoy some playtime in a safe environment, after two of their parks were recently refurbished.
The refurbishment was done by Lonmin Western Platinum Refinery after it had initially erected and donated the parks to the community in 2003.
“After hearing that some of the children in the area had started getting involved in wrongful activities, we thought it would be best to get involved and help in developing the youth and the area.
“We then organised for the parks to be fixed as they play a vital role in keeping the children busy, as they need to be engaged in positive things at all times.
“Today we are handing over the parks after weeks of them undergoing a facelift. Then, in the second phase of this project, we will be putting in outdoor equipment to promote healthy living,” says human resources and community liaison of Lonmin, Mickey Klopper.
She adds that every five years Lonmin does this and afterwards maintains the parks for the community as one of its projects. The reason it chose this area was that it’s closest to the group, although it doesn’t exclude other areas.
Precious Metals Refinery’s (PMR) Linda Ntombela says this is a programme of investing more in the youth and working closely with the community, hence they are happy to help.
Chairperson of the Reedville Environment Task Team Jack Mayisa shares that before these two parks, they had no parks in the area, so children would have to go out of their location just to go and play in KwaThema or Brakpan.
He adds that they thank Lonmin for coming to the rescue as these two parks help them a lot, as parents collecting the children in two central places makes it easier for them to know where their children are.
“The people at Lonmin created and donated the parks to our community, but for about three or four years, we were struggling to have them maintained until we got hold of the new management, who have been very helpful.
“They then came to look at the parks and fixed them as some of the playing equipment was already broken or damaged.
“On Friday, they will also donate a football kit to the Reedville Team and to our oldies team, while in the long run we are looking at conducting more projects with them that will help in promoting a healthy lifestyle or better our environment,” he says.
