Municipality to address state of Morningside park

FOLLOWING complaints on social media regarding the state of Jameson Park in Morningside, eThekwini Municipality has tasked its staff to clean up the park.

Residents have been angered by the condition of the park – the overgrown flower beds, long grass and litter lying around the grounds – when they had recently been prohibited from using the park to walk their dogs.

One resident complained that they were stopped from walking their dogs at the park as they allegedly made a mess, however the park was allowed to get to this state.

Visiting the park recently, ward councillor Ernest Smith said: “The staff are back up to full capacity and I have been told by the municipality that work will be done at the park. Staff are tending to issues, however I have been informed by the Parks Department that there is a backlog of jobs to attend to.”

Smith said he had received numerous complaints about the condition of Jameson Park.

“I have also had a number of complaints about weeds in more than 20 streets in the ward over the past two weeks, as there are no contracts in place for weed spraying and street sweeping. This is unacceptable in the festive season when we want to advertise our city as beautiful and functional,” he said.

Resident, Janina Kempisty, said she wanted a clean park to go to and Jameson Park was not this at the moment.

ALSO READ: Residents demand meeting with Parks Dept following dog ban at Jameson Park

“This is a beautiful park but it needs maintenance. There is a hole in the fence on the top of the park where a car hit it, and parts of the fence have been removed. It is also an entrance for vagrants who are living in the park. I have been walking my dogs here for years, and it is a perfect park for this. The municipality needs to address the issues at the park,” she said.

Regarding the issue of dog walkers being prohibited at the park, something residents are still working on addressing with the City, Smith said he would be calling another meeting with residents to find a way forward.

He said residents had been given the option of using another park for dog walking however they had not been keen on the alternative parks offered by the municipality as options for varying reasons.

“I have been asked to call another meeting with residents, which I plan on doing soon. I urge residents to watch my Facebook pages for a notice,” he said.

Smith also encouraged any residents who were interested in the well-being of the park and who want to assist, to contact him on 079 214 0020.

Commenting on the issues at the park, eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela, said: “Thank you for bringing the matter to our attention. We were not aware of the hole in the fence and the relevant unit will investigate and address this. Our maintenance staff will also be tasked to thoroughly clean the park. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

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