What was once a lush and neat welcome entrance to our town has become what looks like a landfill site with unattractive heaps of sand, stone and grass.

This refers to the garden situated in Lorne Street, which was earmarked as an ideal site for greening initiatives and will undergo a revamp. In January this year, the Environmental Affairs Department announced that four areas in Umtshezi, including the Caravan Park, Wembezi Park One, the Lorne Street town garden and various streets will be given a facelift.

At the time Mark Faku from the Environmental Affairs Department explained that the reason for this initiative was to focus on greenery and open spaces. He added that 136 people will be employed through the Expanded Public Works Program to implement the project.

But since its inception, little ‘greening’ has been seen and residents have begun questioning the progress of the project, wondering when an iconic space in our town will start taking shape.

Responding to these questions, Acting Municipal Manager Elphas Dladla assures residents that the project is on-going. “There is a lot of land preparation that has taken place. The focus now is internally at the Caravan Park. The work will be seen as soon as the laying of watering underground pipes and basic landscaping is completed,” commented Mr Dladla.