Bez Valley war memorial to get a revamp
The historical memorial is currently in a poor condition, as the area around it is dirty and the fountain is leaking.
The Bez Valley World War I memorial is situated on the corner of Kitchener Road and 9th Avenue in Bezuidenhout Valley.
The memorial was built to honour the men from Bez Valley and Kensington who died in World War I, which took place from 1914 to 1918.
The historical memorial is currently in a poor condition, as the area around it is dirty and the fountain is leaking.
Because of this, Ms Flo Bird of the Heritage Foundation organised a meeting with various stake holders to come together and formulate a plan to keep the monument in a good condition.
A meeting was held at the memorial on Tuesday, November 18, where the way forward was discussed.
Vagrants use the memorial as a shelter and a meeting place during the day.
Ms Bird said the some vagrants also start fires, because the granite where the names are inscribed is burnt. Luckily the name plaques are still intact.
“I feel strongly that this place is being used because people don’t have anywhere else to go. If City Parks can put some benches for the people to use, that would be good,” said Ms Bird.
Some of the issues discussed included landscaping and poles, which need to be redone in the area around the memorial.
Mrs Antonia Zotos, from the Darras Centre, agreed that the centre can help with maintaining the grass once the landscaping is done.
They would also find someone to fix the water pump.
Mr Philemon Mkari, of Pikitup, said they would help keep the memorial clean and provide more rubbish bins.
Ms Zoleka Ntabeni, the public culture manager from the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), said the CoJ will help with landscaping.
Community members are also urged to get involved in maintaining the memorial, as it is a part of the history of Bez Valley.
The stakeholders agreed that they would meet and discuss how the process will be done.
