Community outrage after weekend park trashing

BROKEN beer bottles, glasses, champagne bottles as well as a great deal of unwanted food, dirt and debris greeted outraged visitors to Jameson Park on Sunday morning.

The visitors were soon led to the cause of the mess, as discarded bouquets and hymn sheets with a bride and groom's names could also be found strewn around the park.

According to Jono Nienaber, a Musgrave resident who had visited the park to walk his dogs daily for the last three years, the site which greeted him on Sunday morning was 'soul destroying'.

Nienaber said there were piles of food, bottles, broken glass and trash everywhere. “It's an absolute disgrace. The park should fine the organisers of the wedding for leaving the place in such an unhealthy and unsafe state – broken glass doesn't just go away!”

He said his concern was for the community's many families that brought their dogs to the park for walks. “Behaviour such as this is disgusting and unacceptable. They have absolutely no respect for others. I saw a couple that had brought a beautifully set-up picnic to share an obviously special moment, and they had to pass the mess to get to their spot. Its terrible, and shows how inconsiderate people can be,” he added.

Another outraged resident, Glin Delport, said he felt sorry for the dogs who frequent the park. “The wedding was on Saturday, and I came on Saturday afternoon and was playing cricket with my son. I assumed the mess would have been cleaned up afterwards, because that is what usually happens after a function. Today there is still broken glass in areas, even after the staff have picked up most of the litter. It is a disgrace that the people who had the wedding didn't get the place cleaned up. This is a major safety issue for kids and dogs playing in the park,” said Delport.

He said when he arrived early on Monday some of the cleaners were visibly shocked and outraged by the state of the park.

Staff declined to comment about the incident when Berea Mail visited on Monday morning, but were seen clearing the last few piles of rubbish.

Cheryl Johnson and Kevin Dunkley of Save Our Berea said in a joint letter to the Head of Parks Recreation and Culture, Christo Swart, that they received numerous complaints from irate ratepayers about a wedding that took place in the park at the northern end of Musgrave Road, which left the park a shocking state.

“It must be remembered that these are public parks funded by the ratepayers of eThekwini. Given the anger of citizens who regularly use the park, we demand answers to the following questions:

“Are private functions, such as weddings, allowed to hire public parks or portions of parks? If so, what are the conditions of such hiring and what fee is charged?

“Was the wedding that took place in Jamieson Park this past weekend sanctioned? If it was, what fee was paid to the municipality, and was a damage deposit taken?

“Was the erection of a marquee also sanctioned?

“Who will pay to clean up the park? We know we the ratepayers will pay, but is that money recovered from anybody?

“Since it is illegal to drink alcohol in public, is this a condition of hiring public open spaces, unless permission is granted in some form by the Liquor Board and/or the department?

“We think that it is reasonable for citizens to be angry when there are double standards applied by the Liquor Board,” the letter stated.

Meanwhile ward councillor, Martin Meyer, said he was made aware of the situation by concerned residents. “The park is rented out for weddings by the Mitchell's Park trust to generate money that is used for for the upkeep of the zoo. This is, however, not the first time this situation has developed. The organisers would lose their deposit in a case like this, but I will follow up with Parks to find out whether an extra fine will be given. In think the organisers should be fined, as various by-laws where clearly broken. I will also engage with the trust to see whether the park is indeed suitable for these types of events, and, if yes, what can be done to prevent such a mess from happening again,” he explained.