Community members in Driftsands, Cape Town want their badly vandalised play park to be repaired. They say children in the area have no choice other than to play in dangerous spaces.
Residents of Driftsands, Cape Town, are calling for the municipality to fix the park and sports field so that children can play.
The swings in the park are missing. The slide is rusted and fence is broken. The area around the play equipment is littered with rubbish, broken bottles, discarded clothes and used nappies.
“The fence was ripped off because no one guards the park,” said resident Bukiwe Dolo. She said children have stepped on broken glass while playing in the park.
“Since the park is damaged, kids play ball next to a dam nearby. They sometimes kick the ball into the dam and have to go in to try to retrieve it. Other kids risk being run over by cars playing in the street,” she said.
Zamikhaya Mboniswa wants the municipality to hire an unemployed resident to maintain the park. “There are many unemployed people here,” he said.
Simon Ngxumza, a member of Driftsands Sports Council and Mzamomtsha Primary school governing body, said their sports field has been closed since 2018. “The City stopped irrigating the field when it warned residents about Day Zero,” he said.
He said the primary school has not been able to participate in some interschool tournaments because they had used the field to practice. “Since the City closed the sports field, learners do athletics in an open space under hanging illegal connections,” he said.
The Recreation and Parks Department (which falls under mayco member Francine Higham) in response to questions from GroundUp, said the park is earmarked for repairs during this 2025/2026 financial year. But the City does not have money to hire guards at each of its 3,551 community parks.
“When residents see any vandalism or theft of play equipment, they must immediately report the matter to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by phoning 021 480 7700.”
On the sports field, the City said, “The current condition of the turf field carries significant safety concerns and requires intervention to ensure a well-maintained facility for users. The upgraded multi-purpose courts are however not closed and can be used in line with the approved booking processes.”
Funding has been committed for the repairs of the facility’s irrigation system, and the department has also received a quotation for general building repairs to the cloakrooms and clubhouse.
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