ONE of Durban's historical monuments, Resistance Park, in Umbilo Road which was opened by Nelson Mandela in 2002, has fallen into a state of disrepair and is covered in filth. Residents, shocked by the state of the site, are calling on the municipality to clean up and restore the site to its proud and rightful state.
According to resident Brian Choromanski, he could not believe what he was seeing as he walked past the rear of the monument.
“There is talk of further monuments being built. Please let's not waste any more taxpayer’s money, how about just maintaining the ones we have already built! We went into the park to take a look and found the fence is broken in many places, it is full of litter, excreta, weeds are growing through the paving and pieces of slate have fallen off the building. This monument honours our women, Madiba and more. It is heartbreaking to see the filthy condition it is in,” he said.
The 1946 Passive Resistance site is a national monument that was renamed the Garden of Remembrance for all those who were banished, exiled and imprisoned during the campaign of resistance between 1946 to 1948. Based on non-violence, it was a militant opposition to apartheid and racism.
The resistors met at Nicol Square (known popularly as Red Square) in central Durban. From there they proceeded to the passive resistance site, at the intersection of Gale Street and Umbilo Road, where police arrested more than 2 000 people. They were kept in police cells at Umbilo police station for the night and then placed in Durban Central prison.
The Resistance Park memorial is dedicated to the 1710 passive resisters in 1946 and the 8557 defiers of unjust laws in 1952. The monument was opened by Nelson Mandela in 2002.
Ward councillor, Nicole Graham, said she had reported the state of the monument some time ago and asked for an intervention. “It is especially sad considering the intended meaning and importance of the monument. Until such time as the city has a solid plan for dealing with whoonga and homelessless, dealing with parks and public spaces is going to be a nightmare,” she said.
She said displacement, the moving of people from one place to the next, was problematic and meant that there would always be issues with people living, washing and defecating in open spaces.
“The city urgently needs an effective strategy in this regard,” she said.
