We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of the person who drowned at the Manie Mulder Adventure Park in Roodepoort. This is the fourth drowning in the past few months, and we call on the City to put a clear plan in place to prevent further tragedies. This is particularly important with the upcoming Easter long weekend which will see a greater number of religious activities and attendees at the facility.
To date the MMC for Community Development, Cllr Margaret Arnolds, has ignored requests for details about the number of drownings at this facility, and has failed to come up with any clear plan to prevent further drownings. Proper security measures would go a long way in controlling access and ensuring proper supervision around the water, but the department has consistently failed to spend its security budget.
The DA strongly supports a plan for a Public-Private Partnership to help run and maintain this facility, which would have brought all interested parties together to realise the full potential of the park and make it a source of pride for the local community. This would have included residents groups (friends of facilities), NGOs, religious organisations, and traditional healers. There should be education around conservation in this protected area so that it can be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come. We also need properly trained park rangers who can help to control access and stay alert to potential dangers to visitors.
We would like to urge visitors visiting the Manie Mulder Adventure Park not to swim after dark or at midnight, and to adhere to the times allowed to enter the park during the upcoming Easter long weekend.