A MEETING has been called to address concerns raised by businesses and residents near Resistance Park in Umbilo which has deteriorated and become an eyesore, and is being used as a shelter for homeless people who gain entry to the memorial site through a hole in the fence.

Resident Bruce Soutar shared his concern, “There’s around eight or 10 guys living there at the moment. You see the fires going at night, to show that there are people sleeping there at night. The gate to the park is always locked, but they have found a way in.”

When the Berea Mail visited the passive resistance memorial site, opened by Nelson Mandela in 2002, along the fence of the monument the bars securing the site have been widened to allow easy access for people using it as a shelter. There is a stench of sewage, and makeshift shelters and sleeping areas are visible from the busy Umbilo Road, indicating that people are living there.

“This has been going on for years,” said Soutar. “It is sad to see because this is a historic park, honouring the passive resistance movement. We must honour our history and those who gave their lives to the movement by taking care of this park. We cannot let it go to waste like this, it’s degrading. It’s being used as a toilet and a dumpsite.”

Also Read: Resistance Park clean-up for Mandela Day

The park was officially opened by Mandela in May 2002, to honour the 1946 Passive Resistance movement which was instrumental in fighting apartheid. The site was used by the leaders of the Natal Indian Congress, Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Yusuf Dadoo, to launch the campaign against the Ghetto Act of 1946, which restricted Indian ownership of property.

Resistance Park is under the care of the eThekwini Municipality which entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Sastri College Alumni Association to assist in the running of the Umbilo Road memorial site. Thegraj Kassie, secretary of the association, said they are aware of the concerns raised and that the issues are being addressed.

He said, “Resistance Park is owned by the eThekwini Municipality and has been declared as a heritage site. The property is neglected which is a concern for us as well.”

Kassie said a meeting to address these issues will be held on Wednesday, August 20, at the Sastri College Alumni Boardroom at 14:00.

“In principle, the Sastri College Alumni Association has a MOU to administer the park; to boost the revenue of businesses, to make it more user friendly, to make it available to all, and a tourist site to hold various events. This is why we need to come together and do this to honour our stalwarts. The meeting will give direction on the way forward,” added Kassie.

The municipality had yet to comment at the time of publishing. Ward 33 councillor Fran Kristopher said Resistance Park falls under the Parks and Heritage Department of the City and that “concerns have been raised with Area Based Management and Safer Cities as the number of homeless people has increased”.

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