Filth left in the wake of festival at Amcor Dam
Last weekend 190 arrests had been made which included 39 for disorderly drunkenness, four for driving under the influence, and 49 for other traffic violations.
In the aftermath of last weekend’s Gumba Fest at Amcor Dam, rubbish and hundreds of glass bottles litter the surrounding area.
Disgusted Ward 5 residents want to finally close the books on festivals at the Amcor Dam.
Disturbance of peace, littering, fighting and damage to property were just some of the issues that made residents hot under the collar.
“I have lived in Newcastle for 37 years, and I have never seen any place look as filthy as Amcor Dam on Sunday morning,” fumed Elize Manning, who had hoped to picnic at Amcor Dam on Sunday.
Mrs Manning said she had no issues with a music festival in Newcastle, as long as the event was properly managed and the community did not have to deal with ‘hooliganism and littering’ during the event.
Sadly, this is apparently what Newcastle faces during almost every festival at Amcor Dam.
“I was disgusted. There were bottles everywhere, in the veld, broken on the road, and all along the sidewalk. Then there were the party goers. Sitting all along the street too drunk to move, breaking down gates, and blocking the road.”
Ward 5 councillor, Lindiwe Khoza said all steps had been taken to ensure Amcor Dam and surrounding areas were cleaned up on Sunday and Monday.
Municipal and private cleaning crew were indeed cleaning up the area, but the amount of accumulated rubbish seemed almost insurmountable and made it a slow process.
Before the event, Cllr Khoza had ensured residents that police would be in attendance to control the crowds.
According to police spokesperson, Captain Shooz Magudulela, several arrests were made in the area at the time.
These arrests included an alleged cell phone thief who was caught in possession of twelve allegedly stolen phones, and other arrests of drunken residents behaving in an unsavoury manner.
“With the festive season nearing, and these parties becoming bigger, we are going to be clamping down on illegal activities, to ensure residents’ safety,” promised Capt. Magudulela.
Last weekend 190 arrests had been made which included 39 for disorderly drunkenness, four for driving under the influence, and 49 for other traffic violations.
