Manenberg's regeneration soil turns

Published Apr 3, 2017

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This is an extract from a speech by mayor Patricia de Lille at the sod-turning for the Manenberg Integrated Park yesterday.

I am very excited to be here with you today because I believe that today marks the start of a new chapter in Manenberg.

It is a new beginning for the people of Manenberg.

It also signals the success of the partnership between the people of Manenberg and the government.

We were here about 18 months ago with the Western Cape government when we announced that we had a new vision for this area.

Manenberg was identified as one of the areas to be part of the mayoral urban regeneration programme because we felt the need for urgent redress here.

Now that we are in a second term, we are getting on with delivering on the promises that we made to this community.

As part of the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan, we are prioritising addressing the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.

Our transformational priorities include resource efficiency and security and building integrated communities.

That is what we are doing here today.

Our history resulted in people of colour being dumped here, with complete disregard for what infrastructure they needed.

And so, when we decided that we must intervene, we also decided that unlike in the past, we were going to take the lead of the people.

I want to thank the steering committee, under the leadership of Professor Jonathan Jansen, for all the work that they have put into this plan.

I had a meeting with them recently and it was so inspirational to listen to the dreams and plans that they have to transform Manenberg.

Through their work and consultation, we are here today to make some of those dreams a reality. The Manenberg Integrated Park project is aimed at upgrading Marico Park and linking it to the Greens sports fields.

The plan also includes developing a play park adjacent to the fields to facilitate safety and movement and to promote inclusive family recreation.

The project involves three areas of development. The interventions are focused on accommodating family recreation and youth development within an integrated and multi-purpose precinct.

The first objective is the upgrade of Marico Park – an existing park adjacent to the Manenberg swimming pool.

The second objective is that the two sites will be connected by a pedestrian walkway, with trees and lighting.

Thirdly, it includes the development of an informal recreation area within the existing recreational facility, the Greens.

The integrated facility will include passive recreation areas with large trees to provide shade for the grassed areas, play parks with custom-designed play structures, with outdoor exercise zones, equipment, and multi-purpose courts for informal ball games, a custom-designed track and multi-purpose play area in the park.

The City of Cape Town has set aside R15.7million for this project and work is expected to be complete by July 2018.

This is part of a more than R73.9million investment that has been made in Manenberg through the mayoral urban regeneration programme thus far.

Some capital projects include:

– Floodlights on the Manenberg field for R4million

– Elsieskraal park upgrade at a cost of R34 million

– Sport facilities worth R10million

– Reconstruction of concrete roads at a cost of R19million

– Non-motorised transport projects to the value of R18million

Other operational investment highlights include:

– Expanded public works programme sporting hubs: R300000

– Safety lab stabilisation: R3.25million

– Early childhood development - revitalisation of structures: R100 000

I want to make an appeal to all community members to be our eyes and ears here on the ground.

Please let us know urgently if you suspect that there is any delay in the construction process.

If you don’t see things progressing as they should, let us know so that we can intervene sooner rather than later.

I also look forward to us all returning in July 2018 when we will be celebrating the completion of the Manenberg Integrated Park.

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