Fairmount sports grounds in dire condition
FAIRMOUNT – The conditions are appalling with long grass that provides a hiding place for criminals.
The conditions at the Fairmount sports grounds are deteriorating and residents are demanding that the authorities intervene to improve the situation there.
Residents have raised a number of issues relating to the conditions at the facility including a lack of grass cutting, a breeding ground for rats and illegal occupation of the grounds.
In some sections, the grass is more than a metre high and residents worry that this provides an ideal hiding place for criminals. The fence surrounding the grounds is falling over and holes have been cut in the fence.
The facility is currently managed by the City of Joburg’s Joburg Property Company (JPC), said Ward 72 councillor Steven Kruger.
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The problem started about two years ago when the previous leaseholder had their lease cancelled because they were not maintaining the grounds and the buildings were being vandalised, said Kruger.
“Early in 2016, the property was handed over to sports and recreation, who signed user agreements with two organisations, who between them did a great job in cleaning up the grounds and utilising the premises.
“JPC then decided around September 2016 that the grounds needed to be transferred back to JPC, so that they could put out a tender for a long-term lease on the property,” said Kruger.
At a meeting, the councillor said it was agreed that the existing user agreements would be terminated, and the property would again be managed by JPC, and a tender for the leases would be issued by the end of November last year.
Kruger said since then numerous emails and phone calls had been made to the management team at JPC, asking them to clean up the premises, fix the fence, remove the illegal occupants and issue the tender.
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After the North Eastern Tribune sent queries to JPC, we were informed that the project manager of the facility was still on leave and they would be able to respond to the queries when he came back.
Details: www.joburg.org.za, www.jhbproperty.co.za
