For years, residents of Atlasville have complained about deteriorating conditions at the parks along the Atlasville Spruit. Now, frustration is reaching a breaking point.

Community members say the once-peaceful public space, used by families, dog walkers, and shoppers, has effectively become an informal settlement of sorts, with a group of homeless individuals who have been occupying the park for an extended period, erecting makeshift shelters and sleeping there.

Multiple residents told the Boksburg Advertiser that the situation has created fear among park users, particularly dog walkers, families with children and shoppers walking to nearby businesses.

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Some residents have resorted to avoiding the park entirely due to the safety risks posed by illegal activities taking place in broad daylight, particularly in the portion of the park next to Rebel Foods on Star Street and the sections of the vlei along Cockatoo Street.

They highlighted ongoing public drinking, open substance abuse, aggressive begging and unsanitary behaviour, including public urination and defecation by the homeless individuals who move around the sections of the vlei.

Despite repeated complaints to authorities, including the area’s ward councillor, residents say little has changed.

When the Boksburg Advertiser visited the site recently, several homeless individuals, who appeared visibly intoxicated, were seen lying on the grass while others were sitting on benches. There were others moving around the park, begging for food and money from passersby.

Several others were seen indulging in alcohol and methylated spirits. Personal belongings, including blankets and bags of recyclable materials, were scattered around parts of the park.

‘We don’t feel safe anymore’

“It used to be a peaceful community space. Now people, particularly young women, are afraid to even walk across the area,” said an elderly couple, Patricia Berger and her husband John, who were taking a walk in the park along Cockatoo Street.

They also questioned local authorities’ capability to address the problem of land invasion and infringement of municipal by-laws governing public spaces.

“It’s a mess and we are not happy about it at all. We don’t know who to turn to for help because this has been going on for a long time.

“Wherever they choose to gather in the different sections of the park they leave a pile of rubbish behind them. Most of the time, they are very drunk. When they come up asking for money, sometimes it creates some uneasiness among us because they start to ask you many questions if they don’t get what they want.

“Sometimes they come up to our houses so drunk that they can’t even move, and fall down on the pavement and sleep there.

“It’s concerning because there are ladies walking along the area, and it’s scary for them when they encounter this situation.

“I believe there are plenty of places in this country where they can be relocated to. They shouldn’t be allowed to come and invade a public space, and on top of that, publicly engage in such unsavoury behaviour.”

Another resident, Cherie Janse van Vuuren and her daughter, Simone, echoed the couple’s sentiments, adding that the situation has become worse near the bridge closer to the shops.

“It’s not nice. You can clearly see that they are drunk on something very strong, and their behaviour is totally unacceptable.

“This is a nice public park and we all walk here with dogs and kids, and when you experience such behaviour you become worried about your safety.

“My mother always freaks out when we encounter them. Something needs to be done.

“Above all, as the community we look out for each other and warn each other about any safety risk here,” said Simone.

Cherie said, “Our biggest concern is that next time they might start to break in our house looking for something to eat or steal to maintain their addiction to these strong substances.”

Enforcement without resolution

Residents pointed out that local security companies and the CPF periodically moved the group from the park. However, those efforts appear temporary, as they leave for a day or two and then they are back.

Business caught in the middle

A long-standing business operator in the area, Martin Rebelo, owner of Rebel Foods located next to the spot invaded by the homeless, rejected allegations that his business supports and enables the group’s presence.

“I am affected just like the community. They harass my customers and our staff as well, and I have repeatedly reported the issue to authorities, but nothing has changed.

“The park is council property, and I have no legal authority to remove anyone there,” he said.

“If they come onto my premises and harass customers, I get them removed, but outside my boundary, the responsibility lies with the municipality.”

He said the core issue is that the individuals are occupying public land. Removing them permanently requires co-ordinated intervention between law enforcement, social development and housing authorities, not just the community or patrol vehicles.

With the chaos caused by the homeless group, Rebelo said as part of their social responsibility, they maintain and clean the section of the park immediately adjacent to their property.

Skirting around

Residents have accused Ward 23 Councillor Gerald Goslin of skirting round the issue facing residents in his constituency. However, in his defence, Goslin said he had, at some point, taken matters into his own hands to try and get the group out of the area.

“I can acknowledge that this is a long-standing issue that has intensified over the past two years. I personally tried at least twice to get the homeless people to leave the area, but my efforts working with CPF and local security companies bore no fruits as the vagrants move temporarily, and come back the following day.”

What’s next?

Goslin told the Advertiser that as part of his fresh approach to the problem, he has drafted formal questions that will be submitted to council for the MMC for Community Safety and Human Settlements, arguing that the matter requires relocation options and social intervention.

“This is both a community safety issue and a human settlements issue,” he said. “The city must take initiative.”

Residents, however, argue that some of the issues raised require immediate intervention. This includes enforcement of by-laws prohibiting public drinking, littering and indecent behaviour.

Goslin responded that these are some of the issues that he intends to submit directly to the MMC for Community Safety for intervention.

He also acknowledged a complicating factor, saying some members of the public, who can’t stand to see the homeless there, sometimes give food or money to the beggars in the park.

“While I understand that people feel sorry for them and they can’t help assisting with food and money intended as charity, others may argue it inadvertently sustains the cycle.”

According to the councillor, he engaged some of the individuals, asking them about considering moving to local shelters, but they told him that they have declined assistance from shelters because they do not want to comply with rules or structured environments.

Instead, they want to live their own lifestyle, without having to meet all the conditions that emergency shelters often require, such as sobriety, identification documentation or participation in work programmes.

Maintenance decline adds to concerns

Beyond safety issues, residents also pointed to neglected maintenance along the spruit, which has resulted in overgrown grass and reeds, reducing visibility and hiding lawlessness.

The neglect of the facility has prompted local businesses and NPOs to come in where the metro is failing, cutting grass and holding regular community clean-ups to serve the environment.

The councillor said for years the parks department has been telling him that it faces significant backlogs, particularly when it comes to grass-cutting, a sad situation that is experienced citywide.

However, he pointed out that the areas around the vlei have been placed on the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for future funding allocation. He added that a public meeting is expected to be scheduled in the constituency to discuss these issues further.

The Advertiser spoke to one of the homeless people, a 25-year-old man identifying himself as Goodwill, who said he has been living in various parks across the province and has stayed in Atlasville for about two years now.

“We are chased from everywhere. We come back because we have nowhere to go,” he said.

He said he knows that people are not happy with their presence in the park, and would leave if he could secure employment.

“It’s not a good life. Sometimes we eat from bins. If I can get work, I will go. I also want to quit taking these strong chemicals, but I can’t. Life is hard here.”

The metro has not yet responded to our request for comment on the issues raised.

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