Meadway Sports Club in Kelvin needs TLC
KELVIN – The Meadway Sports Club is falling apart and, after five long years, the community is finally working together to find a solution.
The Meadway Sports Club in Kelvin has been a sore spot for residents over the past five years.
The clubhouse is now a mere shell with graffiti-stained walls and tennis courts that lie idle with cracks forming on the cement surface. Of the two tennis courts situated at the club, only one has a net.
Ward 109 councillor Lillian Kekana is aware of the sad state of the clubhouse. “For the last five years, the sports club has been in disrepair. I have been trying, with the Johannesburg Property Company, to find a solution, but they have told me that the property is going out to tender. I am now working with the Kelvin community to improve the site through clean-up projects. Crime used to be a big problem in the park, but community members are helping to reclaim it,” said Kekana.
Kekana added that this is a big project and she hopes to receive support from the City of Johannesburg. “We will be pushing for the renovation of the sports club, including the repair of the tennis courts and the addition of a cricket field.
“I have logged the issue on the Integrated Development Plan system. It is a capital intensive project, so we hope it will be included in the city budget, but we will only be able to start work on the project once the tender issues have been resolved.”
This was confirmed by Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) who stated, “The property was placed on public tender and then awarded to the recommended bidder being Zero Defact Trading for a period of nine years eleven months.
“Upon [the] signing of the lease agreement, the awarded bidder requested for the offer to be cancelled as they were no longer in a position to fund the proposed development. JPC is currently in the process of rescinding the Executive Adjudication Committee (EAC) resolution for the award, in order for the property to be re-advertised on public tender within the next three months.”
Werner Smit, candidate and deputy chairperson for the Democratic Alliance in Ward 109, believes it is important to preserve the green lungs in our city. “The park, which is situated next to the sports facilities, used to have a municipal nursery; and the Meadway Sports Club used to be a functioning tennis club, but the courts have gone to waste. The facilities here could be converted into basketball courts,” said Smit.
Smit added that because of the densification of residential spaces in the area, green lungs are going to become more critical. “One shouldn’t be blasé about it. The community should defend their green spaces quite viciously,” said Smit.
A concerned Kelvin resident, who wished to remain anonymous, is worried about the state of the park and surrounding areas. “The tennis courts and pavilion are simply a disgrace when it could be so nice. There is a big notice by the entrance of the club that says vehicles are not permitted to enter the park but, of course, this is just ignored.”
The resident added that Kelvin is an eyesore and there is a lack of pride in the suburb. “It’s the broken window syndrome. What this means is that if somebody is walking down a street and there are shops with broken windows that do not get replaced, and rubbish lying around, then that person thinks that nobody cares and proceeds to throw rubbish in the street as well.”
Details: lilliankekana@webmail.co.za; wernersmit94@gmail.com
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