Illegal squatting in Fairland Park
FAIRLAND– JMPD has a plan to removed illegal squatters from a Fairland Park.
The situation in the Fairland Park between Smit and Market streets and the area surrounding the Fairland Pikitup dumping site on the corner of Smit Street and 5th Avenue has become unbearable for some residents.
Squatters are sleeping in the park at night and leave their belongings under the trees and behind a City Power transformer on Fifth Avenue during the day and with rubble strewn all over the park.
An enormous quantity of rubble has been dumped behind the transformer in Fifth Avenue.
“The squatters also sabotaged the adjacent complex’s fire equipment in order to get access to water,” says resident Kobus Smith.
“The wooden poles serving to prevent vehicle access to the park and protecting those in the park are being used as firewood,” he adds.
Smith adds that in addition to the squatters intimidating members of the public, the park has become an eyesore in an otherwise very neat and upmarket suburb and there are rumours that it is also a seed-bed for drug dealing.
“The situation has been reported to the Fairland Police who are turning a blind eye on what is happening and when you take the matter up with them, they argue that it is the responsibility of City Parks and JMPD to enforce the bylaws,” Smith informs.
JMPD spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar says there have been six operations in the park to get rid of the vagrants and that
“A follow-up operation request has been sent to Sam Sethagu who is the director of the Bylaw Management Unit at JMPD.”
According to City Parks spokesperson Jenny Moodley, the maintenance of parks is a Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo responsibility.
“We have a fixed litter picking and horticultural plan in place. The big issue in the park in Fairland is the high levels of non-compliance with the bylaws – which is a major concern,” comments Moodley.
City Parks appeals to the residents’ associations and adjacent businesses, to assist in extending the mandate of their private security structures to include a visible presence in the park.
According to Moodley, this will act as a deterrent and possibly help in containing contraventions.
I have lived in the are for the past 40 years and I drive past the Spar Monday to Friday what a disgrace why have the Police not dealt with this already and moved them out. I run a security project in our street and we look after the park when we see signs of People living in we do the necessary to stop it. We need to keep pushing this matter as it will only get worse. The Spar and Garage should also do something about it.