The Springs War Memorial on Third Street continues to be a site for vagrancy, littering and vandalism.
The once pristine heritage site, erected in 1965 in celebration of the brave South African men who fought in the trenches of the First World War and other wars, has degenerated into a dumping site, littered with plastic, discarded and burnt electronics, used condoms and has become a shelter for the homeless.
This heritage site once had a beautiful copper dome which housed a rifle and a golden plaque bearing the names of the men who died on the battlefields.
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The copper dome was stripped in 2014 and the golden plaque is also missing.
In 2018, the metro said that they will involve the Ekurhuleni Metro Police’s quick response team to curb vandalism and vagrancy.
Security around the site is non-existent except for a small green fence around the perimeter of the site.
However, when the Addie arrived at the site on Thursday the gate of the fence was left wide open and no lock was in place.
Ward councillor Dean Stone says: “This is a heritage site and it is unacceptable for it to look like this.
“This is one of the first things people see when they drive into Springs and it really is an eye sore.
“There is no excuse for the place to look like this when the EMPD is right next to it.
“And there is no security whatsoever; this little fence isn’t going to stop anyone from entering.”
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Stone says the problem with the memorial has persisted since 2010 and, despite many inquiries to the metro, nothing has been done since to restore it to its original state.
The metro has failed to respond to our inquiry at time of going to press.
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