Intimidation has prevented repairs to parks in Delft, Cape Town
- Public parks in Delft in Cape Town, some of them decades old, have been turned into rubbish dumps.
- Vandals have removed fences and gates.
- The City of Cape Town says intimidation of the contractor appointed to repair the parks has blocked progress.
Public parks in Delft, Cape Town, are in ruins. Vandals have removed fences and gates and the parks have become dumping grounds. The City of Cape Town says that there is a budget to fix the parks but intimidation of the contractor has prevented repairs from starting.
The fence around the park in Delft South on Main Road has been stripped. There are no more swings for children, the fences are broken, and it is overgrown with weeds and grass. Meanwhile groups of "Nyaope boys" have taken over part of the park.
Amanda Pienaar, who has lived in Delft for a long time, said the park used to be "well maintained and looked after".
"It was well fenced and had well-kept trees around it. However, the condition slowly deteriorated. It has been in this condition for eight years or more now. We have reported the matter to the councillor, but she has done nothing about it. This used to be a nice family space, where people spent their weekends. It saddens us to see it like this and no one cares," Pienaar said.
Pienaar said she pays people to clean the section of the park closest to her house to keep flies away.
On the corner of Sapele Street and Delft Main Road, another public park has been stripped of its gates, fence and netball poles, and has also become a dumping site.
Morris Mthini, who has lived near the park since 1996, said thieves started stealing the fencing last year, mostly at night.
"There were two gates here - a small one and a big one - but today both are gone and they are finishing the fence too."
"The park infrastructure has been badly vandalised. We need security 24/7. We have tried engaging the municipality, but they are not listening to our complaints about this park," said Mthini.
Ward 25 Councillor Phumla Tause (ANC) told GroundUp that she was trying to bring officials to deal with the matter. But, she said, residents of the area did not protect their own facilities.
"People complain, but they don't assist. Residents don't protect their infrastructure. These parks had equipment and were vandalised on their watch. It's not easy for the government to build again," she said.
Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, said the City was aware of the vandalism and illegal dumping. "Plans to repair all play equipment within the area are in place and cleaning and maintenance of the parks is performed in accordance with the City's standard maintenance schedule."
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Van der Ross said the budget allocation for play and gym equipment repairs in Delft, Bonteheuwel, Montana, Valhalla Park, Bishop Lavis, Charlesville and Montevideo areas for this financial year 2023/24 is R1.2-million.
But, she said, intimidation by "unknown persons" had made it impossible for the City to fix the parks.
A case of extortion was opened at the Delft Police Station on 26 September, she said.
"Once the matter has been resolved, the department will engage with all relevant stakeholders and place signage conveying the repairs at strategic points at the parks," said Van der Ross.
Western Cape Police spokesperson Andre Traut said, "Besides a dedicated Extortion Task Team, whose mandate it is to investigate cases of this nature, various other police units are assigned to combat the tendency due to the close links with gangs and the taxi industry."
Cases that have been reported to SAPS are currently under investigation and some of these cases are being heard in court.
Due to the sensitive nature of our investigations, the finer details cannot be divulged at this stage," he told GroundUp.
