Over the years Krugersdorp’s local municipality Mogale City made many a promise, but were they ever kept?
The reality is that some of their promises were kept, especially concerning the Aesthetic Upgrade project.
The Azaadville Community Park and Kagiso Regional Park were upgraded, as the News had reported on 9 June 2014. Coronation Park is receiving its well-deserved upgrade and the Bob van Renen Stadium is also in the process of being restored with new lights and stairs being installed, and seats painted.
But what about the other parks or long lost reserves such as the Vleiloerie Bird Sanctuary?
Back in 2008, Mogale City announced that the sanctuary would be renovated. The News later found the sanctuary to be in a worse state than before the proposed upgrade.
On 17 February the News once again visited the old Vleiloerie sanctuary, and found nothing – neither rebuilt information centres nor fences – only litter and evidence of small fires that were lit in the evenings.
Across the road, palisade fencing surrounds Coronation Park, as the News has seen on 5 February. It seems the more public focus an area gets, the quicker the municipality reacts.
Did Krugersdorp forget about the Vleiloerie sanctuary, or are there some things Mogale City chose to forget?
As the News stood between two nature parks on Johan Jonker Drive, we remember what it looked like many years ago when the community and municipality worked hand in hand.
Frikkie Pienaar, a municipal gardener for 20 years who used to live in Coronation Park remembered how they were instructed to plant trees along the curves of Johan Jonker Drive.
“We had a nursery in Coronation Park where we plant the trees,” said Pienaar.
“Everything was left to ruins. Planting the trees is a start towards restoring the town’s lost beauty,” comments Eugene le Goff, Pienaar’s co-worker.
Le Goff said the Bob van Renen Stadium has been improving over the past few months. It is still considered a construction site, so the News was unable to get inside. However, the freshly painted spectator seating is visible from Coronation Park. On 16 February, the News noticed municipal workers cutting and maintaining the grass and gardens. The Gauteng Provincial Department invested in the renovation with a R10 million budget as the News had reported in June 2013.
As for Vleiloerie, Hannes Hattingh, vice-principal of the West Rand School neighbouring the once flourishing sanctuary recounts memories of Vleiloerie.
“I have been working at West Rand School for 22 years and remember the glory days of Vleiloerie, when there was an information centre, walking and biking trails, a water sprout and dam that formed part of the fenced-off sanctuary.”
Vleiloerie is one of the oldest unkept promises of Mogale City Municipality.
Recent work done by Mogale City sends a message that our municipality indeed can do its job. Municipal workers can be seen all around town and beside roads as we roll up our windows for fear that the weed-eater could damage our vehicles. It is rather reassuring to see where our tax money is going.
The News hopes that Vleiloerie soon will be upgraded, as proposed in the Aesthetic Upgrade of Krugersdorp by Mogale City.
On the date of going to print Mogale City Local Municipality has not responded to our questions formally, but reassured that they would do so.
The News will keep its readers updated as soon as more information becomes available.
