Alice Govender(left) and Pravin Nundkissor of the Phoenix Civic Association are addressed by eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda at the Redfern sports field. Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo / African News Agency / ANA Alice Govender(left) and Pravin Nundkissor of the Phoenix Civic Association are addressed by eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda at the Redfern sports field. Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo / African News Agency / ANA
Durban - The development of a housing complex will continue on a former sports ground in Phoenix despite a concerted effort by civic bodies to save it.
EThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda conducted an in-loco inspection of several sports grounds in Phoenix including the Redfern grounds, before addressing the Phoenix Civic Association and concerned members of the community.
Disgruntled residents of Redfern, Stoneham and Westham together with the Phoenix Civic Association demanded to know why their playlots and sports fields were taken from them for housing developments. They met Kaunda at the Durban City Hall in November 2019 about their concerns.
The sports ground has come under the spotlight after residents claimed there were shoddy deals in purchasing the land by the developer. Last month a construction team began building homes on the grounds.
They also disputed the city version that the site was underused and had become a place of unsavoury activity such as drugs and theft.
In a memorandum handed to the mayor, on Tuesday, the association stated that children and the generations to come will have no place to run free, kick a ball, join a sporting body, train and dream of becoming sports legends.
The local temples will also have no place to host their religious festivities. With an increase in houses, the association also factored in traffic congestion, blocked sewer drains.
Among their list of demands was a survey of the social and environmental impact of housing development in the area. This includes policing, health services water and electricity.
The chairperson of the Phoenix Civic Association Alice Govender said they had approached the municipality raised issues, provided a portfolio of evidence and got an undertaking that a moratorium will be in place to stop all development.
Included in the memorandum was a signed document from Ferndale Secondary School principal M.Pillay. Pillay said his school has been in existence for 40 years. He said the school has 1700 pupils.
"The school cannot cope with the large number of pupils in each classroom. The school is in need of a sports field. We require space for the construction of classrooms and more sports facilities. No consultation was done or communicated. Ferndale secondary has 665 pupils while Fernham primary has 873 pupils,” Pillay wrote.
A resident Shane Bachan said Phoenix does not have a proper sports stadium for multiple sports functions compared to other suburbs.
Kaunda said the sports field was zoned for housing decades ago and the process cannot be reversed. Kaunda said infill housing projects public consultation processes had been done in 2005. He said an existing sports ground nearby will be developed.
“I will go back to the office to consolidate a report on each sports field. I will convene a public meeting to give feedback to the community. The record says it was zoned for housing. We not targetting Phoenix specifically," Kaunda said.