Saulsville children play among sewage and rubbish as public parks deteriorate

Health-e News Saulsville children play among sewage and rubbish as public parks deteriorate Children in Saulsville, west of Pretoria continue to use public parks where residents say sewage, illegal dumping and deteriorating infrastructure have made the spaces unsafe.

When Health-e News visited Forest Park on Chauke Street, sewage was flowing through the park, rubbish was dumped across parts of the site, playground equipment was mostly gone and the park had no fencing.

Brian Mabasa, a young community activist who has lived in Saulsville all his life, says the park was last well maintained more than a decade ago.

According to Mabasa, the park has since deteriorated.

“The state has totally ignored this park.

As the community we clean it for ourselves,especially during holidays,” says Masaba.

“We need help.

It’s become more of a dumping site than a park.

We want the park to be barricaded because it’s unsafe now.

Kids can easily fall on the slippery side and die here.” According to Masaba the park was once a popular recreational space.

He says people travelled from as far as Mamelodi to spend time there with their families.

“For a long time it was a great space but this deteriorated from 2016 until today.

Children are at risk, this park is dirty,” he says.

Mabasa says discarded medication and syringes are among the waste found in the park.