An absolute disgrace! This is how residents of Paarl described the situation this past weekend after literally thousands of people, many of them from outside the borders of Drakenstein, descended on the banks of the Berg River leaving a trail of filth in the aftermath.
The general feeling among residents of Vrykyk and central Paarl is that the municipality has opened the doors to wanton lawlessness.
Hundreds of vehicles, many of them minibus taxis from as far as Cape Town, blocked the boulevard at times, including driveways to residents’ homes.
Garbage was scattered everywhere, public alcohol abuse was clearly visible, disturbance of peace was reported throughout Saturday and Sunday, with loud music playing from cars until late at night as well as cursing and scolding. Hundreds of people were in the water at times and people leapt off the Arboretum Bridge into the river time and time again, which is extremely dangerous.
And even though residents had repeatedly called the municipality’s emergency numbers about these misdemeanors there was not a single response.
And this after residents en-masse held an urgent meeting with the Drakenstein Municipality (DM) on Friday to discuss this troubling issue.
It had been warned for weeks already of the growing problem, but at the meeting, led by Councillor Johann Muller, it was evident the municipality was turning a blind eye to the situation (read adjacent article about the meeting).
And only after media requests about this concerning issue were received from national news agents this week did the Drakenstein Municipality wake up, and called a meeting on Tuesday with various law-enforcement entities to discuss stricter security and traffic law enforcement.
At this meeting the following was decided: . Roadblocks to ensure no-one brings alcohol to the riverbanks and the towing away of vehicles that park illegally. The Arboretum Bridge, from which people jumped into the river this past weekend, will be cordoned off and access to the bridge will be controlled. In addition, a significant amount of additional chemical public toilets will be made available.. Working together with the police and other safety network partners, the DM will deploy additional law enforcement officers and members of its Tactical Response Unit. The consumption of alcohol, open fires, loud music, illegal parking or public nuisance will not be tolerated. . A temporary designated parking area will be made available for minibus taxis and public transport. Roadblocks and vehicle spot checks will be used to ensure no drivers are under the influence of alcohol.. To discourage littering, refuse bags will be distributed and designated spaces will be identified for collection purposes. People who do litter, will be issued with fines. The area will also be closed at 20:00, to allow municipal workers to collect the refuse and clean the area for the following day.. The municipality strongly discourages swimming in the Berg River due to whirlpools and some areas that are unexpectedly deeper than others. Over the past few years and as recently as this weekend, people lost their lives while swimming in the river. Those who do enter the water, do so at own risk.
In a statement, Drakenstein municipality said: “While the municipality understands people look for ways to deal with the heat wave it wants to reiterate that all residents who visit Drakenstein’s public spaces should do so in a responsible manner.”
However, residents of greater Paarl remain sceptical about the ability of the municipality to contain this unruly influx, as they have already thrown the door open.
