The City of Mbombela (CoM) recently started cutting grass in overgrown public parks around town and on roadsides.
Allegations abound of the municipality neglecting the 28 public parks in the city, but the CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, dismissed them.

“We have a schedule to cut the grasses in our parks and roadsides, and we do them accordingly. However, the rainy season just adds to the pressure, as it will grow rapidly and we cannot keep up. It is also not true that we neglect our parks; we will continue to respond to the needs and calls for grass cutting.”

Residents in affected areas said some of these parks had not been cleaned up since November, and most of them are only being attended to by the private organisation, We Care 4 Nelspruit. “Since TJ Maré and his teams are not yet back at work, the parks remain inaccessible.” These residents demanded that the parks be serviced as they attract criminals. “Children and other members of the public who use these parks for play and exercising cannot enjoy the benefits as they once did,” they said.

The locals remain adamant that it is not We Care 4 Nelspruit’s responsibility to maintain these parks, but the municipality to which those residing in the neglected areas are paying rates and taxes.

In response, Ngala said they welcome the assistance from the community and organisations such as We Care 4 Nelspruit.

“However, the municipality alone cannot do everything on its own. The organisation cleans the parks voluntarily, and once they do an area, we cannot go and clean it as well. That will not make sense; they don’t clean where we have cut the grass already, and we share our schedules with them as per their request,” Ngala said.

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