The latest clean-up of George Lea Park is unlike previous attempts which have seen the informal dwellers return and litter pile up, said Ward 90 councillor Martin Williams, “This is the real deal.”
Readers often ask questions about the future of George Lea Park on the Sandton Chronicle Twitter and Facebook pages. As Ward councillor, Williams is also bombarded with queries and complaints about the park. “By the end of this week (October 7), you will begin to see a positive renewal of the park.”
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This paper has discussed litter, pollution and the most recent plans for its revamp and makeover. According to the article, Plans to fence out displaced persons, Week ending 23 September, a new fence is set to be built around the perimeter of the park and future plans are being made to beautify the land.
Read also: Reader expresses views on George Lea Park
The paper previously reported that there were plans to evict the displaced persons living in the park, who are primarily from Lesotho. This eviction began on 3 October and the first steps towards transforming the park were taken.
Kate Wardle, deputy chair of the Parkmore Community Association said, “We would like to thank the community for their ongoing patience and support as we finally start to see results. By early 2017, a significant difference will be clear to all, not only in terms of cleaning up the wetlands and securing it, but through the enhanced and new facilities at the Sandton Sports Club.”
She added that the Parkmore community is excited and grateful to the new management at the Sandton Sports Club who have been instrumental in transforming the park.
In light of this transformation, Sandton Chronicle approached the Lesotho Consulate to discuss future plans for these George Lea Park dwellers. Eyhali Vuyani of the consulate discussed the matter with regards to the imminent eviction of the dwellers and the fact that many of the displaced persons are undocumented. According to Vuyani, a forced removal may create even more problems in the area.
“We cannot force them out. We need to move them to a suitable place like a homeless shelter.
“The problem here is that they will scatter all over [Sandton and surrounding areas] and create even more problems. We do not want more informal settlements appearing.”
He added that the issue of the persons being undocumented was dealt with on 28 September as many of the dwellers were issued with ID books and birth certificates at a nearby church.
It is important to note that this is not the first time that displaced persons have been removed from George Lea Park. A similar raid was conducted by Metro police on 9 June, but the George Lea Park dwellers returned days later.
