Law enforcement officers were alerted to illegal activity at the facility by Gonubie ward councillor Andre Swart, who wrote a letter to BCM last week complaining that vandalism, illegal occupation and an illegal car wash occurred there without consequence.
On Monday, DispatchLIVE visited the site. About five people were sitting about at the ablution block, where most windows were broken.
Sometimes people walked across the road before returning to the building to sit on large drums.
While the Dispatch did not see any cars being washed, Swart said this was happening.
Shortly after 11am, Swart contacted the Dispatch again to say law enforcement had just raided the block and found dagga growing in a small section of land behind the facility.
In his letter to BCM, Swart asked the municipality why the facility had not been incorporated into the sports fields, because there was less chance that it would be vandalised there.
But he was told the ablution block was intended for public use, and closing it would give rise to “public health nuisances” and “unauthorised use of the gardens at the civic centre for ablution facilities”.
But these fears were already being realised, Swart said.
“It is the resident vagrants who have vandalised the facility and it is now being used as an illegal car wash.
“With Level 2 water restrictions in the offing, who will be paying for wastage of water at this facility?”
He said if the municipality was not prepared to evict the vagrants, the facility had to be either transferred to the sports club or demolished.
“As it stands, it serves no purpose and is not being used by the public as a toilet facility.”
johnh@dispatch.co.za
Vandalised ablution block draws ire
Image: John Harvey
A free-standing public ablution block on Gonubie Main Road has not only been vandalised and used as a base to run an illegal car wash, but also has a patch of ground where dagga is being grown.
The ablution block is at the edge of the Gonubie sports fields and lies diagonally across the road from the Gonubie SuperSpar.
It was raided on Monday morning when city law enforcement officers found enough dagga to fill a plastic shopping bag.
Image: John Harvey
Law enforcement officers were alerted to illegal activity at the facility by Gonubie ward councillor Andre Swart, who wrote a letter to BCM last week complaining that vandalism, illegal occupation and an illegal car wash occurred there without consequence.
On Monday, DispatchLIVE visited the site. About five people were sitting about at the ablution block, where most windows were broken.
Sometimes people walked across the road before returning to the building to sit on large drums.
While the Dispatch did not see any cars being washed, Swart said this was happening.
Shortly after 11am, Swart contacted the Dispatch again to say law enforcement had just raided the block and found dagga growing in a small section of land behind the facility.
In his letter to BCM, Swart asked the municipality why the facility had not been incorporated into the sports fields, because there was less chance that it would be vandalised there.
But he was told the ablution block was intended for public use, and closing it would give rise to “public health nuisances” and “unauthorised use of the gardens at the civic centre for ablution facilities”.
But these fears were already being realised, Swart said.
“It is the resident vagrants who have vandalised the facility and it is now being used as an illegal car wash.
“With Level 2 water restrictions in the offing, who will be paying for wastage of water at this facility?”
He said if the municipality was not prepared to evict the vagrants, the facility had to be either transferred to the sports club or demolished.
“As it stands, it serves no purpose and is not being used by the public as a toilet facility.”
johnh@dispatch.co.za
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