Residents are fed-up with Lahee Park neglect
Papers, broken bottles, used condoms and underwear are some of the things that people are likely to find around the park and in the railway lines.
RESIDENTS are tired of the deteriorating situation at the infamous Lahee Park with its overgrown bushes and litter, especially at the nearby railway track between Sandown Village and Field’s Hill.
Residents feel as if they are trapped in their own surroundings as it is hard for them to walk freely around the park.
Papers, broken bottles, used condoms and underwear are some of the things that people are likely to find around the park and in the railway lines.
General Manager for Sandown Village, a retirement home situated at the back of Lahee Park, Dave Randall, said the situation is totally out of control and intervention is urgently needed.
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Early last year, a 22-year-old man who was terrorising girls aged between 11 and 22 years was arrested by the Pinetown Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS).
In all incidents, the man would approach the victims in the Pinetown CBD, befriend them and then lure them towards one of the neglected forest areas.
“The crime is on the increase as thieves use the railway to hide and as a getaway. Others burn electrical cables and some people urinate and defecate along the rails.”
Randall said many of the residents used to walk their dogs there but it is almost impossible now.
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“Seeing that nothing was being done to clean-up the area, two residents, Tanya Oliver and Andy Weerts, took it upon themselves to pick up the litter around Harvey Road and the top of Lahee Park,” said Randall.
Oliver said she even started recycling plastic bags because of the number of plastic bags they picked up during their clean-up.
“We live just across the road and we used to love taking our dogs for a walk in the park but in some areas the grass is shoulder-height. It is shocking! We just want this place to look accommodating so that people can relax here.”
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