Residents of Selection Park are fed up with the state of their suburb and have pointed the finger of blame at the municipality.
“I’ve lived in Springs for 36 years, and it used to be so beautiful. Our parks were the envy of many.
“When the Springs Mall was built, I could see it clearly from my house, but now the grass has grown so long and thick,” said resident Madeline Plumstead.
Selection Park’s most popular park is George Sutter, but Plumstead said she has resorted to taking her granddaughter to another park in Casseldale.
Also read: Residents frustrated about the state of George Sutter Park
Kelly Clark, another resident, said: “George Sutter Park has become a hang-out for the homeless and thugs. Every time we ask the metro why the grass is not cut or the bins emptied, they have excuses.
“Why do we pay rates if we cannot get the services in our area?”
Clark said most of the street lights have not worked in years. Residents believe this is the reason for the spate of house robberies.
“When my husband gets home at night, it is so dark he would not be able to see if someone was waiting for him at the gate,” said another concerned resident.
She said that in the two years she has lived in Selection Park, the street light outside their home only worked for two days.
“The thick bushes also make it easy for thugs to hide,” said Clark.
Some residents claimed the lights closest to their homes have not worked in six years. They are concerned that if nothing changes, crime will only get worse.
Also read: George Sutter Park an eyesore
Cornel Swart, chairperson of AfriForum in Springs, said the organisation has offered to assist the municipality with maintenance.
“They do not seem to have a plan, but they also do not accept our help. We know they have the equipment, but no one to work it. As residents, we cannot back down until we see some positive change,” he said.
Kathy Preston and her husband, Henry, take care of the duck pond after it was neglected.
They receive donations of food for the ducks and feed them once a day.
Councillor Mike du Toit admitted the metro is aware of the poor performance of the parks department.
“The problem is with the contractors being appointed too late and not frequently enough. We will not fix the situation until we can change systems that clearly do not work,” he said.
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