Residents decry lack of maintenance at Rose Garden Park

What was once a source of pride for Rhodesfield residents has now become a symbol of neglect.

The Rose Garden park, situated at the corner of Catalina and Mars Streets, no longer lives up to its name, there is not a single rose bush in sight, and residents say the space has become overrun by weeds and vagrants.

Residents and Ward 91 Clr Simon Lapping have repeatedly raised concerns about the state of the park with the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), but say their pleas have gone unanswered.

ALSO READ: Officers clean up Kempton Park Police Station

“It’s not rosy anymore. It’s a crying shame,” said one resident.

“There are no roses, just overgrown grass and weeds. The park has become an abandoned, unsafe space.”

According to Lapping, the Rose Garden was once a beautiful public space, a green beacon in the community. But today, it tells a different story.

“The City of Ekurhuleni is supposed to maintain all parks regularly, in line with a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Clearly, that’s not happening,” said Lapping.

ALSO READ: Thembisa recovering drug addicts clean up illegal dumping sites

“Numerous residents and I have highlighted the state of the park to the Parks Department and the CRM manager, and all we get are excuses.”

Lapping said that while there was a half-hearted attempt to cut the grass last year, the rose beds have been left unattended for years.

“I suspect departments have either lost the SLA document or there’s no consequence management in place anymore,” he said.

When residents and the councillor follow up, the responses are always the same: “No machines, no PPE, no contracts in place, no money.”

Resident Sesethu Mdekazi, whose home and business are directly across from the park, said she hasn’t seen proper maintenance work done for a long time.

“My sister and I started calling last November asking for the grass to be cut. Every time, we were given a two-week timeframe, but nothing ever happens,” she said.

ALSO READ: CPF and community members clean up streets of Kempton Park

Frustrated, they escalated their concerns by writing emails to various officials, including the Parks Department manager, and even received a three-week deadline that was not met.

“When Councillor Lapping came out to take photos, he advised us to contact Kempton Express,” said Mdekazi.“Eventually, someone from the city came to cut the grass, but the state of the park hasn’t improved much. It still looks terrible.”

The Kempton Express contacted the City of Ekurhuleni for comment and requested a response by April 7.

At the time of going to print, no response had been received.