Warwick Bruce Chapman

Note: This is an article produced for the DA West Durban Constituency Newsletter.

DA activists honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by cleaning Crompton Park

Keeping parks clean, planting trees and providing safe spaces for people to rest and play is a priority of Warwick Chapman, the new DA councillor for Ward 18 (Westville North, Cowies Hill, & Pinetown CBD).

“Parks and other green spaces are important meeting, resting and social spaces and need to be properly maintained in order to ensure they contribute to rather than detract from the social fabric of the community,” says Chapman.

Crompton Park, on the corner of Sunnyside and Crompton Roads, is a green space that has been allowed to deteriorate. It is not uncommon for many illegal activities to happen there, including the trade in drugs and the sorting of stolen goods. The DA chose to clean up Crompton Park as one of its many activities in eThekwini Municipality to mark Mandela Day. This unique day, celebrated across the world to honour the humanitarian legacy of former President, Nelson Mandela, required individuals to contribute 67 minutes of their time to community service. More than twenty DA activists and public representatives gathered in Crompton Park and filled approximately 70 large refuse bags with litter from the park.

Other recent cleaning projects organised by Councillor Chapman include two cleanups in Lahee Park in June. This park moved from a veritable litter dump to clean and green, and the City Parks Department is committed to keeping it that way.

Residents can make a difference by encouraging one another to keep these spaces green and clean. “Crime loves dirt and grime, so let’s get cleaning and greening,” says Councillor Chapman.

The West Durban Constituency of the Democratic Alliance celebrated Madiba’s 91st Birthday (Mandela Day), with a Park Cleanup at Crompton / Sunnyside Park in Pinetown.  The Park has been a problem for many years now and was filthy.  The the team of volunteers put on a sober and workman-like showing and really managed to change the face of the park in 67 minutes.

Attending from the DA were Gareth Morgan MP, Cllr Tex Collins, Cllr Peter Davis, Cllr Noma Phungula, Cllr Warwick Chapman, and COM Fabiola Macrae.  Volunteers came from as close as Pinetown and as far away as a Korean and German.  All in, we assembled a team of 20 volunteers who collected an enormous amount of litter and assorted junk and deposited it in the Metro supplied garbage skip.

Crompton/Sunnyside Park is much cleaner than it was before and pressure will be applied on the local Parks office to keep it clean.