Is it planned neglect?

‘Vryheid Resident’ writes:-

IT IS extraordinary how tolerant we have become in the face of the deterioration of services rendered by our municipality. I read the Vryheid Herald every week, and I have not see one letter, not one, from anybody complaining that the municipal swimming pool in High Street has failed to open this summer. Not one letter.

There was an article in the Herald about this, but it did not stir up any reaction from anybody in the municipality who could make a decision. Not were we told why the pool was not open.

And I expect, or suspect, that this lack of any interest by the public will ultimately be interpreted by the powers that be as justification for doing away with the pool altogether. See if I’m wrong in five years time.

It is the same with the parks in Vryheid. The municipality will neglect them, neglect the playground equipment, neglect to clean them up, neglect to get the contractor to cut the grass on a regular basis, neglect to trim bushes and shrubs, and so the public will not go to the parks, and kids will not play in the parks because there’s nothing to play on, and then the municipality will say, “Look, no one is using these parks, so let’s sell the land.”

Swimming pools are not cheap to build or maintain, but parks are relatively cheap and absolutely essential, especially in the denser residential areas as have been created in the low-cost housing projects. We should protect the existing parks, and the residents in the low-cost areas should be hammering their councillors to create parks or open public areas where children can play.