Men have taken ownership of a field in Tafelsig for the safety of their children and community.
The three men leading this initiative – Rafeeq Petersen, 38, Neil Isaacs, 29, and Jonathan Regue, 28 – told the Plainsman the field on the corner of Buttress Street and Summit Street, Tafelsig next to Cascade Primary School had been used as a dumping site.
“We decided to clean the field and some of the guys joined us later on to do the same,” said Mr Petersen.
They took plants out of their own garden, he said, and the recreation and parks department removed the dirt and rubble from the field. Work started in July and since then has remained clean and attracted children who play there.
Mr Petersen said he had asked Joe’s Tires shop, located next to the field, to sponsor some tyres which were used in their new garden.
Mr Petersen said some of the unemployed men helping to beautify the space have been planting trees and would eventually like to turn the field into a community food garden. They take great pride in it, he said.
“We’re feeling positive as we are taking ownership of our space. Our children play here. We’ve observed that our children can’t play in this environment due to the dumping. We’ve alerted the council to come and see what’s happening,” he said.
Mr Isaacs, said he felt good about cleaning the field. “There’s so much crime here. There’s just one light that’s working in this field,” he said.
“The youth shouldn’t look up to gang members who want to help them in the wrong way but they should do something positive in their lives, so that they can see the good change. We want to show them the positive way. We are doing this for the children. We’re delighted that we could help in a small way,” said Mr Isaacs.
Mr Regue, said they will continue to clean the field and keep it clean so that people can feel safe in the space and children can use it as often as they like.
Ward 82 councillor Washiela Harris said she had met with the men who wanted to take ownership of the public open space. “Going forward we would like all residents to take ownership and beautify our area. We are creating partnership with residents and the City of Cape Town,” she said.
If you would like to donate anything to their project contact Mr Petersen via email on rafeeqpetersen1984@gmail.com for more information.