The Darling Skate Park was officially opened on 30 June. The Executive Mayor, Harold Cleophas, accompanied by the Darling ward councillors and Municipal Manager Joggie Scholtz, officially opened the Darling Skateboard Park. This park is part of the long term Regional Socio-Economic Projects (RSEP) project which includes the Du Vlei Amphitheatre.
RSEP is a transversal, inter- governmental programme that drives social-economic development in targeted areas. The project was launched in Malmesbury in 2014 and was later extended to Darling. To date the complete investment into both Malmesbury and Darling amounts to R60 million, with the amazing assistance from partners like SANRAL, Hope Through Action, Afrisam, Slimsun and other mining companies.
The purpose of RSEP is to:
• Improve the quality of life for residents through urban upscaling;
• Community participation
• Institutional arrangements
• A “whole of society approach” to challenges such as crime and unemployment.
“Darling is our second town in the Swartland to benefit through RSEP. The intercultural space built on the Evita Bezuidenhout Boulevard consists of a beautifully designed amphitheatre and play space for children and now the skate park,” says Executive Mayor Harold Cleophas.
“This project has been an amazing collaboration with students from the Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This collaboration identified the needs and interventions which the RSEP project in the region should address. This included tourist markets, safe pedestrian walkways, gathering spaces, play spaces, recreational spaces and festival and learning spaces. These needs were then combined into the gorgeous space we have today. This is indeed a space and project the Municipality and the community can be very proud of,” he added.
According to Cleophas they had significant buy in from private partners to continue and extend the development of this site and the next steps will be to establish an entrepreneurial hub.
Along with the skate park, 10 lucky children from the community received skateboards and all the necessary safety equipment, including helmets, kneepads and elbow-guards. The skateboards and safety gear were generously donated by Lyners and Nammic.
Jack and Danie from CheapSK8 in Riebeek Kasteel gave a safety and skating demonstration to the new skateboard enthusiasts.
