Gatvol residents are demanding that the City of Mbombela (CoM) clean up public parks and that by-law enforcement officers step up to the plate to prevent littering.

The outcry follows a visible decline in the maintenance of local green spaces. Many public parks are overgrown with long grass and alien plants, with several being used for dumping or public drinking spots.

Residents say that numerous requests for the CoM Parks Department to intervene have fallen on deaf

ears.

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Suzanne Stein, who lives near Golden Park, says the area has become a cesspool of public drinking and littering.

“I have personally reported the overgrown grass, but nothing was done. The municipal by-law enforcement is dysfunctional. We pay taxes so that CoM can maintain this infrastructure, yet we are stuck with bushes and filth,” she said.

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Another resident, Andrew Ndimande, highlighted the safety risks associated with the neglect. He said if it wasn’t for private sector intervention, the parks would become worse, attracting criminals and becoming makeshift homes for vagrants.

“Some of us pay for these services so our children can have decent places to play. I am gatvol; these parks are dirty and no longer safe to walk in. The municipality must do what is right and maintain these spaces,” he urged.

In Steiltes, the situation is equally dire. Lisa Marie de Villiers described the local park as a ‘disgrace’.

Frustrated residents have resorted to paying private contractors to clean up the areas to ensure the safety of children and those using the spaces for legitimate recreational purposes.

At the time of going to press, CoM spokesperson Joseph Ngala had not yet responded to Lowvelder’s request for comment.