Makana Municipality will hire daytime security guards to deter vandals at four recently built parks and is sourcing R4.2 million to finish the city's parks project.
Makana Municipality will hire daytime security guards to deter vandals at four recently built parks and is sourcing R4.2 million to finish the city's parks project.
We have discovered that most of the damage happens during the day, municipal spokesman Mncedisi Boma told Grocott's Mail last week, explaining the mayoral committee's decision last week to hire daytime security only.
He said Makana was trying to get the R4.2m top-up from the Department of Environmental Affairs.
We need to move quickly to secure the top-up fund, because it's important to get the funds and then look at [repairing]the damage, Boma said. He said the municipality's Social Services department had resolved that the parks needed to be completed before the municipality handed them over.
In 2011 contractors started work on four parks in the Makana area: three in the township and the fourth at the spring on the R67 to Port Alfred.
In Extension 4 the old cemetery was transformed into Sani Memorial Park; in Phumlani an old dump site was cleaned up and planted to become Phumlani Park; and in Extension 6, Zion Dam is the centrepiece for another recreation area.
Emthonjeni Spring, popularly known as 'Fairbairn Spring' because it's close to that property's entrance, sees heavy use and, like the other three, still awaits completion.
So far the parks have cost the municipality R10 million.
Afri-Coast Engineers Project Manager Thando Bili recently reported to Council on the status of the project.
He painted a discouraging picture, reporting that swings and other metal installations had been stolen, plants destroyed and rubbish dumped at some of the parks. Bili said a R4.2m top-up would ensure that the remaining phases of the project would be completed in eight months.
According to his presentation, 95% of the work in Sani Memorial Park was complete and R165 753 more was needed to finish the job.
Phumlani Park, 50% complete, would take R1 841 700 to finish.
At Zion Dam 75% of the work had been completed. The remaining 35 percent would cost R1 289 190.
At Emthonjeni Spring, 10% of the work still needed to be done at a cost of R368 340.
The rounded off total is R3 664 983. VAT at 14% brings it to R4 178 080.
