Park revamp creates jobs
A community initiative is creating jobs and revamping a park in West Riding.
A LITTLE nature and tranquillity has been restored to the suburbs as the West Riding Neighbourhood Watch (WRNW), in association with the local community, have been upgrading a small park on Elizabeth Road, West Riding.
According to Lester Jones, a member of the WRNW who initiated the project, the upgrade involved two goals: to uplift the community and aesthetically improve the park. Through community donations, the WRNW has been able to employ an EMBO resident, Goodenough Zikhali, as a gardener to maintain and revamp the park.
“We realised that the area was looking a bit untidy and needed a clean-up, but it was also about uplifting the community. The watch and its members aim to go above and beyond the patrolling and crime fighting. We are also looking at the causes behind crime, such as unemployment,” said Jones.
Miles Steenhuisen, a fellow watch member and owner of a local landscaping business, will be working with and training Zikhali in landscaping. Steenhuisen said, “Not only are we providing him with an income, but we are also teaching him a skill. We hope that one day he will be able to move on to a professional career, and we will then employ a new person to train.”
In addition to cutting grass, trimming tree branches and removing alien invasive plants, Zikhali, under the guidance of Steenhuisen, will plant indigenous plants, and create a border around the indigenous wetlands and grasslands found in the park. “This will provide some protection for the fauna and flora. At the moment when the municipality trims the grass they often cut the grasslands, not realising that it is not weeds,” said Steenhuisen.
The WRNW has also been chasing vagrants from the park, and keeping a watchful eye to ensure that it is safe for residents to enjoy.
“We have noticed that residents have begun using the park to walk their dogs. It is one of the few parks in the Hillcrest area, so it is a sacred area for the residents. Our aim is to provide a clean, open and safe environment that the community can be proud of,” said Steenhuisen.
WRNW members encourage the community to donate to the worthy cause.
Contact Lester or Gill on 073 309 5553.
