POLOKWANE – Cathy Schutte, a resident of the city, experienced one of the most disgusting and worrying moments of her life when she found her two children, aged four- and seven years, playing with a condom at a public park in Bendor Avenue recently.
Schutte said one of her sons showed her the condom, thinking it was a balloon. “He found it near the sandpit where they normally play. Not only was the situation humiliating and disgusting, it was also unhealthy,” Schutte told Review.
Public parks were there for children to play and have fun in and not to be used as a sex house or dumping site for used condoms, she added. She said another mother also complained that one of her children found a ‘balloon’ hanging from one of the trees.
According to municipal spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene, the municipality tries to prevent indecency at the city’s parks they enclosed the parks with fences and erected poles at the entrances to prevent motor vehicles from entering the parks.
She said security guards were also placed at the parks to discourage people who abuse the city’s parks and vandalise the property.
Polokwane police spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala, said anyone found involved in illicit activities in a public area would face charges of public indecency.
He explained that public indecency was considered a common law offence. It was described as unlawfully, intentionally and publicly engaging in a conduct which tended to deprave the morals of others or which outraged the public’s sense of decency. “Offenders can receive heavy fines and in some cases even jail time, depending on the nature of the offence. In any case, a guilty verdict in court will be placed on a person’s record, no matter what the sentence,” Phala said.
“Residents must refrain from taking part in illicit activities in public areas like parks. It is against the law.”
