Steadville residents along Chief Albert Luthuli Street say the local play park has turned into a dumpsite.
“To be honest with you, it looks worse than the local dumpsite,” said a nearby resident, who asked to remain anonymous. Residents say the play park has become a health hazard as human faeces and dangerous waste material lay scattered along the playground, with the only working play equipment being a slide. Swings and other equipment are broken or have been stolen. The fence around the playground has also been vandalised and parts of it have been stolen. “Vehicles and residents from other wards stop here to dump their waste. I have stopped my children from playing here.” The park, according to the residents, had been renovated about two years ago. “It was a safe place for the children and they stopped playing on the main roads.”
In Acaciavale, Councillor Abbas Warasally has questioned why members of the community are not allowed to use the Acaciavale Sport Stadium. The multi-million rand sports complex was approved by Alfred Duma Municipality in 2018. The “sports field” has a soccer field, change rooms, a cricket ground, two combo courts, an outdoor gym, security and access-controlled building and parking, but no-one from the community is allowed to use the stadium. “Children used to use the sports field before the stadium. They played safely on the soccer field and netball courts. Now it is locked and no-one can use it,” said Warasally.
It has been reported that Acaciavale children have been seen playing near an open vacant lot that is used for dumping. “Here is a facility that was built for the community to be used, but since it has been built, no-one can play on the field or use the courts.” At the time of going to press, Alfred Duma Municipal Communications and Intergovernmental Relations spokesperson Siyabonga Maphalala, had not commented on the Steadville Park and the Stadium matters after he was sent a detailed email by The Ladysmith Herald. “I’m still awaiting feedback from the departments responsible for the aforementioned venue and services,” said Maphalala
