Name change for Japanese Gardens proposed

The municipalitys deputy head of Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries, Christo Swart said: “The Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit has adopted social cohesion as the driving force of the Unit which means all services offered have to ensure that this objective is met.

“The Japanese in Garden Durban North is visited by thousands of people every year for leisure purposes. The Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit started with some upgrades at the park and the main objective is to see it become a hive of activity to achieve the goal of social cohesion.”

Swart said the Japanese Gardens was named as such because of the nature of the design that resembled the Japanese style. The garden at this stage does not really reflect or resemble that particular style anymore.

The renaming proposal is currently at the respective council committees for consideration and should the name change proposal go ahead, a process will be started, ensuring inclusiveness in arriving at a new name.

Included in the process will be the provision of a brief on social cohesion highlighting the importance inclusively to the residents of eThekwini Municipality and invitations will be requested for proposals of a new name for the Japanese Garden, which will speak directly to the objective of social cohesion.

This invitation will be open to all citizens of the city including the immigrant communities.

Do study before renaming park

The Democratic Alliance in eThekwini has noted with concern a recommendation from the Community and Emergency Services Committee that a name change for the iconic Japanese Garden in Durban North has been proposed.

“The ANC believes the Japanese Gardens are used predominately by Indians and whites and therefore this must mean that racial segregation exists in this park,” said ward councillor, Dean Macpherson.

In the report, it is mentioned that traces of racial segregation within communities still exist, this is something that the DA agrees with.

“The DA believes a study on the park should first be conducted. The idea of social inclusion is something that must be looked at in a very sensitive manner.

“The Japanese Gardens in Durban North are rated by TripAdvisor, an international travel advisory internet forum as a ‘must see’ when tourists visit Durban due to it’s unique nature and natural beauty,” Macpherson said.

“Furthermore, the municipality has allocated R1-million for the last two financial years and another R1-million for the current financial year to maintain this city landmark.
The DA is concerned that this shotgun approach to social cohesion and the subtext that African people don’t use the Japanese Gardens because of it’s name, to be insulting to African people.

The municipality further runs the risk of upsetting the large Japanese population in Durban as well as offending Toyota, a Japanese owned company which employs thousands of people in Durban.

The Democratic Alliance believes that social cohesion must take place but in a framework that empowers communities through meaningful projects that bridges the divides that the apartheid system built.

Simply renaming a non-offensive park that is so highly rated as a tourist destination will only have the opposite effect.

Gardens built in 70s

Retired horticulturist and municipality employee, Peter Stewart- Dunckley of Durban North, was a member of the team that originally built the Japanese Gardens in the 1970s.

I worked for the then Durban Parks, Recreation, Beaches and Cemeteries Department.
Stewart-Dunckley said before the gardens were built, a lot of research was done so, for example, authentic Tory arches and bridges were designed, there were lanterns, the banks were held up by prongs and herringbone drainage systems were constructed.
He said although all the plants were not Japanese, the ones used were suitable for the Japanese theme.

“Sadly, the gardens are not as Japanese as they were. The gardens were once topnotch, but the upkeep has slipped over the years.”

For more information contact deputy head of Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries, Christo Swart, on 031 311 4439 or email: Swartc@durban.gov.za