A CLEAN-UP at the Greyville Tennis Courts was undertaken by DSW, the Parks Department and volunteers last week in an effort to improve the area and deter vagrants who have been squatting on the property.
The clean-up was initiated after councillor Martin Meyer met with the Parks Department a week prior, to discuss the property.
“People have been living on the grounds, the fence is almost completely broken down and the security guard on the property isn't doing anything to deter vagrants. We decided to start with a clean-up, which I feel is a good start. This is an example of the broken window scenario, where if a property looks bad, vagrants move in,” said Meyer.
Meyer said the next step would be to get funding to fix the fence around the courts. He said he had received a quote and was in the process of finding funding.
“DPHS has said it would be willing to do up the courts and adopt the property as a school to use, and open the courts to the community to use. They will be putting in a formal proposal. The city doesn't want to spend money on the property as they don't know what future plans are for the land,” he said.
Meyer said the security issue was a concern and he would be working on securing 24-hour security on the property.
“Residents and visitors to the B&B nearby have been harassed by vagrants staying on the property, so this needs to be addressed,” he said.
He said the general state of the property and the building, which was currently being used illegally for boxing classes, needed to be upgraded so it could be used by the community again.
Clean-up co-ordinator Nana Ndlovu from DSW said they were most affected as their office bordered on the property.
“Over the past year we have battled with the crime which has increased as a result of the vagrants staying on the property. We have had two cars stolen and one colleague was mugged and her bag stolen. We are concerned about safety and the fact that this is a health hazard. We have engaged with Environmental Health as there are no toilets on the property, and the vagrants are using the trees to do their ablutions, which we can smell from our building. We have also had an influx of mice, it is terrible,” she said.
She said the property not only affected DSW, but the whole area.
“We are cleaning up so the vagrants have nowhere to hide. We want to make the place look good and safe, as part of the Clean and Maintain My City campaign,” she said.
Resident and B&B owner, Elmar Neethling, said the property affected him as part of the tourism industry.
“It's just not safe anymore and it's an eyesore for residents in the area. Tourists who stay at my B&B use the path past the property to get to Florida Road and it is becoming dangerous. I feel this clean-up should be ongoing, to keep the area clean and tidy,” he said.
“We need to reclaim our parks and open spaces and use them. We need to stand together to make the city better, we can't depend on the government, we must work together to make Durban a shining jewel,” said Meyer.
