Eco Park managed with a public-private partnership with City Parks and SCP Security

Public-private partnerships continue to benefit communities for those who are willing to collaborate.

The Northcliff Eco Park was closed over the festive season in a bid to prevent any dangerous behaviours from taking place, such as underage drinking and drug taking on the rocky outcrop.

Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker arranged a multi-organisation raid of the popular site last October with JMPD, SCP Security, Fairland CPF and others which uncovered illegal public drinking, underage drinking and more. This was a precursor to its closure which lasted several months.

Bishop Ngobeli, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) manager for protected areas said, “The park was temporarily closed due to underage drinking, by-law transgressions and the risk of falling from the ridge caused by unruly behaviour from some users.”

In April JCPZ implemented several interventions and put in place plans to keep the site not only safer but cleaner too and the park was re-opened.

“In terms of security, JCZP Park Rangers work together with the assistance of SCP Security, who open and lock the gates daily and conduct regular checks, to ensure visitors are safe. They are also available if there is an emergency.

“We have assigned three expanded public works programme workers who assist with cleaning the park daily, including weekends, and who also assist with overseeing no dangerous behaviour by visitors is done as they have been trained on rules and safety protocols for the site.”

Jonker said, “I am pleased that the Northcliff Eco Ridge is open and running more smoothly. Since June last year, we have worked hard on this facility leading up to a workable solution which launched in March. I want to thank Clive Maher and his team at SCP Security for looking after this facility for such a long time and for doing all he can to ensure everyone is safe at the site.”

Conservation specialist for JCPZ Philip Mkhombo, under which the park falls said, “The councillor has been instrumental in raising awareness on how we can improve measures for this place to be opened and safe. We also have rangers that come on an ad hoc basis to conduct random checks.”

SCP Securities Clive Maher said he also has a team that does a clean-up of the ridge every second day as visitors do not use the bins as much as they could. “It has been great to have City Parks work hand in hand with us, there is more control over the ridge.”

He says it remains difficult to completely control access for those who are at the site to enjoy the views from the tower, residents of the area and the minority who are in the general area of the ridge for criminal purposes. “However the drinking and drug use has declined a lot which is great and we have had no incidents so far to my knowledge.”

“To Philip Mkombo and his team from JCPZ, the community and I thank you for the last two months of hard work, we can see such an improvement at the ridge,” said Jonker.

JCPZ is encouraging users to take care of this space by refraining from illegal activities, like alcohol consumption, illegal substance abuse and by-law transgressions.

Related Article:

Northcliff Eco Park reopens following festive season closure