Excell Park vagrant hotspot
WELTEVREDEN PARK – Action needs to be taken to control the growing vagrant situation in Excell Park.
Ward 126 Councillor Mike Tonkin and Crum Region C manager Linda Hlatshwayo called a meeting to address the ever growing problem of vagrants in Excell Park in Weltevreden Park.
Vagrants in the park have been a thorn in the sides of residents and local entities for years.
In 2014 Councillor Tonkin complained to the City about the utter disgrace of the park with regards to the high grass, which criminals use as a hiding spot.
Aside from the infestation of bugweed, an alien weed, it seems that vagrants have taken the park as their home. Often one can see the displaced individuals washing their clothing in the Klein Jukskei River that flows through the park. Even more disturbing is that they bath and defecate in the water. It is clear from the make-shift camp site that has been erected in the privacy of overhanging tree branches and Bugweed that they intend to stay.
“It is totally no good what is going on here,” added Councillor Tonkin. The meeting involved representatives from JMPD, SAPS, City Parks and Zoo, Social Development and resident’s associations.
Stakeholder Relations manager Hildah Thabo said, “The problem with displaced people is that even when they are removed they tend to come back after a couple weeks or move to different parks.” Jon Rosenberg, Honeydew CPF public relations officer, suggested that removing much of the bugweed and branches will deter the vagrants from sleeping there as they will no longer have shelter or a place to hide.
SAPS reiterated this point by commenting how often criminals use areas such as these to spy on the homes around the park for the comings and goings of residents. City Parks and Zoo regional maintenance manager Puleng Ditabe explained that Excell Park by the river is classified as a wetland and a lot of the vegetation cannot be removed in order to sustain the ecology of the area.
JMPD too were not surprised by the situation as these are often places they raid during their greenbelt operations.
The City representatives were not able to commit to a solution as many people need to be involved in the process, although they did agree to escalate the problem to the right people.
Neville Burnett, the RiverWel administrator said, “We have been complaining about this for years and are tired of getting pushed from pillar to post. Something needs to be done now.”
Details: Ward 126 Councillor Mike Tonkin, michaeljt@global.co.za or 082 564 0160.
