Delight over revamped play park is short-lived

The Halfway House community who called for the formalisation of the Seventh Street Play Park is disappointed by its current state.

The park is situated in Halfway House along Harry Galaun Drive and is

6 325m². A petition was developed earlier this year by local resident Carol Lee Steyn as a call to Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) to take care of the park which included adding signage, erecting a palisade fence, installing new bins and benches and cutting the grass regularly. The petition was handed over to former Ward 112 councillor Madeleine Hicklin and accepted by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo in February this year as reported in Midrand Reporter the article Halfway House play park sees progress [Week ending 15 March 2019].

A petition process was completed to secure safe access for local schoolchildren to use the park and reduce instances of crime such as drug dealing in the park.

But 10 months after the petition handover, the local community has expressed concern over the development of the park. Steyn said that City Parks had installed new benches and bins, the grass had been regularly cut and the signage had been erected but the palisade fencing had not been installed, which has led to a plethora of issues on the park.

Steyn claimed that the bins and benches had been vandalised and people are regularly having parties and littering all over the park. “The problem is, City Parks claimed that they would put bins and benches, which they did, closely followed by the signage and palisade fencing. But what has happened is that vagrants and others have been using benches to have parties and parking their cars in the park.”

A resident from a neighbouring complexes, who wished to remain anonymous, said that these gatherings have been extremely disruptive with noise levels increasing drastically going from the the late evening until 6am. They added that bottles have been thrown into their yard and cars have parked in front of their gate.

The caretaker at another complex, John Morake, said City Parks should cut the bushes against a wall on the far side of the park as people have apparently been living in the bushes. He recounted one incident where a woman attempted to jumped over a barbed wire wall into their complex in October.

The residents have not reported the issue to the police or metro police but have notified security companies in the area.

Steyn said, “All we are trying to do, is trying to create a safe and secure park for everyone.”

With regards to the palisade fencing, regional manager for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo Region A Joseph Ndou said, “JCPZ tried on more than four occasion to solicit requests for quotation from service providers, however, we had to cancel as service providers were overcharging.

“The plan is still in place to instal palisade fencing. We are now trying with our facility management team to see if this cannot be done internally, depending on the availability of the material. Our due date is 30 March 2020.”

Ndou said that there are no vagrants living in the park but rather unemployed job seekers. “No one can be removed or stopped from using a public open spaces unless they are committing any crime or using the park as sleeping quarter that’s when the issue can be escalated to social development. Any illegal activities can be reported police or Metro police.”

Steyn concluded that City Parks should remove the benches if they don’t put up the palisade fencing, because it is not secure at the moment.

Spokesperson for the Metro police Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said, “When people use a park, they must use it in such a manner that it isn’t a disturbance. When it disturbs the peace or becomes a noise issue, residents can contact the Metro police on 011 375 5911. Drugs may also not be sold in a park and residents should report it immediately.”

Details: www.jhbcityparks.com