Market Square park on the road to ruin
The crowd dispersed almost immediately, following the arrival of the blue and green lights, boarding their taxis and disappearing into the night and peace and quiet was eventually restored, and all that remained was the horrific mess they left behind.
THE Market Square park in President Street, between Boeren and Mark Streets, has become a haven for party animals lately, it seems.
On any given pay weekend, one can hear the screech of tyres, loud music and screaming and shouting going on in the park. The park, which was fenced off to restrict vehicles from entering, has been vandalised and a large enough section of the palisade fence removed to allow vehicles through. The park’s amenities have been vandalised, such as lights and playground equipment, as well as several sections of the fence. The amount of litter in and around the park is an appalling sight.
Buses converge on the pavements around the park, fetching schoolchildren on a daily basis. Apparently one is meant to have permission from the municipality for this. When we asked if the municipality was aware of the makeshift bus stop, they allegedly were not.
Several weeks ago, the ‘pay day celebration’ at the Market Square park got slightly out of hand and Neighbourhood Watch, as well as the local SAPS, had to be called out to intervene. Taxis had swarmed upon the grounds, offloading a multitude of passengers, many of which were schoolgirls, one could tell as they still had their school uniforms on, and proceeded to disturb the peace with loud and obnoxious noise blaring from the vehicles from early afternoon.
According to a source, there was a vehicle at the scene from which alcohol was being sold to the loud and obstreperous crowd which had accosted Market Square. With no regard for the residents in the area or certain municipal bylaws, apparently, this party continued until early evening, when a concerned resident called in Neighbourhood Watch, as well as the police, who responded swiftly.
The crowd dispersed almost immediately, following the arrival of the blue and green lights, boarding their taxis and disappearing into the night and peace and quiet was eventually restored, and all that remained was the horrific mess they left behind. Broken beer bottles littered the field, as well as fast food containers and all kinds of rubbish.
“If this destructive and uncivilised behaviour is allowed to continue, what will become of the park?” said a concerned witness to the almost riotous behaviour of the masses who had gathered at the park.
