Delta Park vagrant dilemma

Delta Park manager Geoff Lockwood is at his wit’s end with the vagrants living and roaming around this park disturbing the birds.

They suspect that eight to 10 people live in the park’s Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary, and more live in other parts of the park.

“We are trying to get a resolution,” said Geoff Lockwood, the resident manager at the Delta Environmental Centre.

“At the moment the City has no policy on vagrants, but they cause damage and are a problem.”

He said vagrants had been living in the park for a while and have degraded the bird sanctuary, which is meant to be a home for birds, genits and mongoose.

He also said these vagrants have cut holes in the sanctuary’s wire fence to gain entry.

“The City has not decided on whether people can live in public places yet, but the sanctuary is enclosed and is not public, so the City should do more. I have told them about this but have received little feedback. I think City Parks just wishes vagrants would go away by themselves.”

City Parks spokesperson Jenny Moodley was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of going to print.

Shirley Tebbutt, volunteer at the park and publisher of its online newsletter the Delta Park Dam Clean Up, claimed she emails a representative of City Parks weekly about problems in the park and work done by volunteers, but she has never received a response.

She said if a few vagrants are allowed to live in the park they will be joined by many and the park would be “overrun”.

Details: Delta Environmental Centre 011 888 4831, City Parks 011 712 6600, Shirley Tebbutt etebbutt@worldonline.co.za