Public demands joint action on neglected parks
Ward 64 councillor, Gavin Hegter said that the only real solution to this old issue was for the community to take ownership of their facilities.
THE change rooms at the bottom field of the Woodlands Sports Club have become an eye sore, a hygiene concern and as of late, a home for squatters.
A neighbouring resident of 36 years, Mike Impson shared that this has been an issue for years with no intervention from the municipality. He explained how squatters have taken ownership of the rooms where they sleep and keep their belongings, most of which is discarded waste which attracts rodents.
“The cover of the nearby drain was also stolen. The drain is now clogged up with paper and other rubbish. The building is in such bad condition. A part of the roof, which squatters use to gain access into the build, could cave in at any time and injure someone,” he said, adding that a joint effort needs to be made between the relevant municipal departments to address the issue.
Ward 64 councillor, Gavin Hegter said that the only real solution to this old issue was for the community to take ownership of their facilities. “In the past, sports clubs used to have long leases. However, this is no longer the case since the municipality has changed leases to a month-to-month contract. The downfall of this is that long leases gave sports clubs a sense of ownership of their designated area and encouraged members to keep good maintenance. These changes have unfortunately proved financially draining and resulted in clubs giving up in the upkeep of fields and public facilities. Many sports codes have also been phased out and clubs just don’t get as much support from their communities as they used to.
“This is a common issue throughout ward 64 as well as the entire city. The truth is that the municipality does not have the funds to have 24 hour security to safeguard its facilities. It would be advisable for the parks department, as the custodian, to join efforts with the sports clubs to work towards renovating and providing some form of security to neglected parks and public facilities. The previous councillor, Billie Prinsloo tried to implement this but her efforts proved futile when the sports club was vandalised soon after it had received a facelift. This problem won’t be solved unless clubs take a stand by taking responsibility with one goal in mind,” said Hegter who added that he would be willing to assist the community in this initiative.
