THE announcement of the revival of the Lahee Park sport precinct has given residents and local sport bodies a glimmer of hope.

eThekwini Municipality said its plans include the installation of fencing to secure the property and regular maintenance of the complex.

In a statement, the municipality said this comes as the Community Services Committee supported plans by the Recreation and Parks Directorate to fast-track the refencing of the sports precinct and source new sport body leases.

Manager of the Pinetown Gymnastics Club, Allan Chadwick, said Lahee Park was once home to top athletes and was a thriving sports complex, which has been taken over by criminals, homeless people and illegal dumping.

@caxtonlocalmedia eThekwini Municipality announced plans to revive the neglected Lahee Park sports precinct in Pinetown by installing fencing, performing regular maintenance, and reviewing sport body leases. #HighwayMail #LaheePark #durbannews ♬ original sound – caxtonlocalmedia

“We hope this announcement by the municipality to beef up security will help us restore this wonderful facility.”

Chadwick added that while many clubs have closed over the years, the cricket club is making a slow comeback. “The members have spent thousands of rands trying to repair the clubhouse, which had been stripped bare. The hockey and athletics clubhouses now resemble shelters for the homeless.”

A drive through the park paints a sad picture of a once proud facility, including 11 tennis courts and several fields, surrounded by overgrown bushes and neglect. The clubhouses are vandalised and gutted, surrounded by broken glass, litter, and even human waste.

Back in 2022, the Highway Mail reported on Chadwick’s pleas for intervention. At the time, he requested the City to secure the area with fencing, maintain the grounds, and restore the buildings.

Ward 18 councillor Melanie Brauteseth said she has received numerous enquiries from the public regarding Lahee Park and the development that was previously planned but was no longer going ahead.

“In response, I wrote to the chairperson of the Community Services Committee, Clr Zama Sokhabase, highlighting the current dilapidated state of Lahee Park and the challenges it poses. I urged the municipality to revisit the current budget to ensure the maintenance and improvement of this important community precinct.

“I remain committed to championing the needs of our community and will continue to advocate for the restoration of Lahee Park – so that it can once again be a safe and welcoming space where children can run and play freely,” said Brauteseth.

Brauteseth was referring to a 2017 eThekwini Municipality statement which said the Lahee Park redevelopment proposals had received the green light. The city manager at that time reported that the redevelopments included upgrading the existing facilities as well as the establishment of new facilities and infrastructure to re-establish Lahee Park as a premier sporting precinct.

City’s plans to revive the park

The City said the recent interventions follow an oversight visit to the site, led by Sokhabase last week, to assess the state of Lahee Park.

“In order to protect the park from being vandalised, the Recreation and Parks Directorate will seek funding for new gating and fencing to secure the entire sports complex at an estimated budget of approximately R3.5m. “The abandonment of leases has led to the neglect of buildings within Lahee Park, resulting in theft, vandalism, and deterioration of facilities. Areas previously maintained by lessees were left unmaintained, adding to the decline of the precinct,” said the City in a statement.

“Through its ground maintenance budget, the Directorate contracted service providers to cut the grass of the surrounds of the facility (excluding the playing fields) approximately eight times per year. The playing fields themselves continue to be maintained by internal staff.”

The municipality stated that the proposed interventions include the inclusion of Lahee Park in the upcoming ground maintenance contract, with a 12-cut cycle per annum, and continued field maintenance by the District Parks team, aligned with the regular cutting cycle, at an estimated cost of R750 000 per annum.

“The Directorate has undertaken to engage with local sporting federations to establish structured use of the facilities. It will also implement a three-month maintenance plan to address overgrown grass, eradication of invasive alien plants, removal of weeds on hard surfaces, and issues of safety and security.”

The City said, through a Council resolution, it formulated a Sports Body Lease Committee which investigates challenges faced by sport precincts across the city. The committee is responsible for renewal, reallocation, assessment and termination of sport body leases to those who are in breach of lease agreements’ terms and conditions.

“Lahee Park is a massive eight to 10-hectare sports complex which offers many different sporting codes such as tennis, cricket, swimming, rugby, bowling, soccer, netball, gymnastics and more. Its core function is to deliver sports and recreation development in the community. Through the work of the Sports Body Lease Committee, the City’s Legal Services Directorate is currently assessing new lease conditions against the old long-term leases which were 100 years.”

In the statement, the eThekwini Municipality added that once all legal processes have been finalised, the Property Valuations and Management Directorate will begin the process of advertising for new tenants to occupy the property.

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