Save Townsend Park

From recent revelations in the media, it would appear that our parks are under threat. The recently announced sale of 4000 square metres of Townsend Park in Ballito by the KwaDukuza Municipality has created much concern in the community. The park is a valuable communal asset. It adds significantly to the lifestyle of those who live, work and visit here and by selling off a large part of it, we believe that the Council has acted in bad faith. There has been no public participation in the process thus far, and many are of the opinion that this is irregular. Once public open space is lost, it is gone forever. We cannot afford to remain complacent on these issues that affect us all. Property values diminish when this sort of densification occurs in communities, leisure activities are negatively impacted on as well. The council position that there is no alternative land suited to development for which the park has been sold is misleading and we believe that there are alternatives. Certainly, this is what we would like council to explore. There is also much concern around the lack of transparency in these dealings. It would appear that the sale of this piece of land was conducted in haste and was way below market value. Our position is that we want any idea of development to be halted in its tracks while a thorough investigation of the matter is conducted by our legal representatives. When all of the facts of the matter have been laid bare, there should then be a process consultation and public participation to manage the way forward. Local government is mandated to operate in the best interest of the majority of people in each ward that it services. We believe that this has not been the case in this matter and with your support, we aim to set the record straight.