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The Southfield community has to wait longer before their Sovereign Road Park can be fenced as the City of Cape Town has no budget for it.
This comes four months after the Mayco member (South) Eddie Andrews promised that fencing would be erected during this financial year (“Fence needed for park”, People’s Post, 10 April).
Previously, he said the funding for this park would be sourced from the ward allocation budget.
Andrews explained that the fence had been removed because it was a rail fence and the aim was to have it replaced with a wooden, ranch-type fence.
According to him this was because some of the rails had started to disappear, “most probably stolen by scrap collectors, leaving behind the posts as these are secured with concrete, posing a safety risk to users”.
Ward councillor Carol Bew has revealed that she received a quote of R265 000 for the project, which is more than can be afforded at the moment.
“This quote came in at more than the total allocation for the whole ward, consisting of more than 20 parks.
“We therefore need to discuss this and try and find alternative solutions,” Bew explains.
Bew says City Parks have an unfunded mandate and do not get a capital budget.
She says they only receive a repair and maintenance budget for operational work.
A resident who lives close to the park, Bruce Anthony, says: “I feel that residents have been given the run-around by City officials over the past eight months.
“The slogan is seemingly as ineffective as the service rendered. The City is not working for us if we have to grovel for a clear response. Please can someone please give us a timeframe for the replacement of the fencing?”
