Bulwer tennis courts in ruins

A FEW months ago, Bulwer Tennis Club was operational and used on a daily basis for what it was intended for – tennis. However, its current state leaves residents in endless anguish. The sight of defacement and waste is glaring from either end of the club, ie, from both Esther Roberts Road and Ferguson Road.

The establishment houses four courts and changing rooms, which have either been vandalised or illegally occupied by homeless individuals. Court fencing has been turned into laundry lines, and car tyres are lying around the courts.

The sewerage system is malfunctioning and is starting to overflow. There is a food stall on Esther Roberts Road, opposite the club. And there is a small spaza shop at the entrance of the courts. To make matters worse, new occupants are being offloaded regularly and have been seen hosting parties.

Also read: Tennis club plagued by burglaries

Residents Nick and Wendy Barstow bemoaned, “As property owners in the area, we believe we can speak for everyone when we say we are concerned with what [the homeless living] on a public sports facility do for property values in the area.”

“We are all aware that drugs, crime and general lawlessness tend to emanate from this sort of land grab. The next thing is that there could be shacks put up on the tennis courts. As it is, the change rooms were never meant to accommodate the numbers that are currently there,” they said.

They added, “If the municipality had the will, they could find alternative accommodation for the occupants and the courts could revert to a sports facility. It doesn’t have to be tennis, but if they were creative, they could make basketball/netball courts or even padel courts. This might be more appropriate for the area.”

Although the Barstows have not personally witnessed any criminal activities, they believe that crime is ongoing in the area. Explaining that having the homeless just around the corner is not a comfortable feeling. “Surely the authorities must know this is happening, and if so, why haven’t they done anything about it? Soon, this area will be like the market/taxi rank in the Durban CBD.”

Also read: Umbilo Sports Club under siege

“We and several others have been in touch with our ward councillor whom I understand has forwarded the complaint on to the authorities. So far, nothing has been done. All we need is safety and restoration,” Nick added.

Ward 33 is currently without a ward councillor since former Councillor Sakhile Mngadi became a member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) last month.

In May, Mngadi, under the banner of the Democratic Alliance (DA), led a protest against the illegal occupation and vandalism of the Bulwer Tennis Club. The theme was, ‘Drugs over Sports’ and was directed to the City Council.

His statement said, “The DA in eThekwini will write to the Public Protector’s Office and COGTA MEC to enlist that action be taken to hold the eThekwini City Manager and the Parks and Recreation Deputy City Manager responsible for their inaction as eThekwini Municipality Officials have converted the Bulwer Tennis Club in Glenwood into a drug den after presiding over its illegal occupation since October 2023.”

Also read: Umbilo resident fed up with the state of his community

He said that numerous calls to have the City relocate the homeless individuals who occupied this facility illegally in October 2023 had fallen on deaf ears. Instead, officials from the City’s Safer Cities Unit formally met the illegal occupants in November 2023 in secret and allowed them to stay for ‘only two months – while a plan was made’.

The eThekwini Municipality did not respond to enquiries before this article was published.

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