Rhodes Park used as a toilet
A frequent Rhodes Park user has urged the city to ensure adequate toilets are available to visitors.
Ms Belinda Brooks, a Kensington resident, said insufficient toilets at Rhodes Park have led to people defecating and urinating in the park.
She said the toilets outside the swimming pool, which were vandalised, have been closed since October last year.
“I have been told for months that the insurance claim is in but nothing has been done. I understand it would take time to rectify but in October it will be a year and it is clear the municipality is doing nothing about it. It is a health risk for people and animals. Children are watching grown men expose themselves,” she said.
Ms Brooks added that the park has a landmark status and was always well maintained however, over the past three years, it has declined.
“This once beautiful green space is now deteriorating into a shabby, unkempt park. In the summer the park is dirty. It is full of litter from the weekends. The gardens are barely being maintained. They are overgrown and full of weeds. There are large water leaks all over the park that have made large sections unusable. This started a year ago and has not been addressed,” she said.
Ms Brooks added that people have been stealing bricks from the pathways and there are holes everywhere. The dam water is also polluted and full of litter.
“People fish in the dam despite the ‘no fishing signs’. They become aggressive when confronted. People have also been catching and eating the ducks. The police and City Parks no longer patrol the park. It is full of vagrants and drug dealers, and people are mugged on a regular basis,” she said.
Ms Jenny Moodley, from Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), said the entity will ensure the toilets are fully operational before the end of July.
According to the entity, the toilets were vandalised after being repaired through an insurance claim process.
The region is still awaiting the outcome of the most recent claim.
Ms Ipeleng Dube, the Region F manager for the JCPZ, said there are other toilets in the park that are in use.
“These are based on the upper side of the tennis court. Assurance services will advise what the status is on this claim and park wardens have been requested to do regular park patrols,” she said.
Further comment on other statements made by Ms Brooks, about problems in the park, were not received from the JCPZ at the time of going to print.
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