George Lea Park is an area with an abundance of people from Lesotho.
The Sandton Chronicle has reported on this park and discussed the litter, pollution and the most recent plans for a 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.
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We reported that there were plans to evict the displaced persons living in the park, who are primarily from Lesotho.
In light of this, Sandton Chronicle approached the Lesotho Consulate to discuss the 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, as well as the fact that the majority of these displaced persons do not have any proof of identification. “[On 28 September] we are planning to give them birth certificates and ID documents”
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Vuyani stressed that most of the Lesotho residents in the park have absolutely no form of identity. “All people in South Africa should be documented, but these people do not have any documentation. They are going to Rosebank Union Church [opposite George Lea Park on William Nicol Drive] tomorrow [28 September] and documents will be issued by home affairs.”
Vuyani has discussed the issue with Ward 90 councillor, Martin Williams, who believes that a humanitarian approach needs to be taken with regards to displaced persons. “I told the councillor [Williams] that we need a suitable place for these [displaced persons] to go.
“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 even more informal settlements appearing.”
