August 11, 2003

HUNDREDS of Soweto residents, city councillors and provincial MECs descended on the Dorothy Nyembe Park to celebrate the reopening of the renovated park on Saturday. The event was organised to coincide with Women's Day celebrations.

Just a few months ago the park looked like a wasteland, with the grass overgrown, equipment rusted and vandalised, and the lake silted up.

Today though, the 3,5-hectare park sports a brand new look - new play areas, a sparkling lake, newly installed lighting, a perimeter fence and spruced-up grounds, with trees pruned and reeds cleared away.

The revamped park looks a lot more colourful, with new sporting facilities including netball courts, a soccer field, a volleyball court and a basketball court and areas set aside for residents to play chess and morabaraba.

The City contributed R7,5-million towards the restoration of the park back to its previous pristine beauty.

During Saturday's festivities the mood at the Dorothy Nyembe Park was one of celebration. Guests, led by Johannesburg executive mayor Amos Masondo, danced to marimba music and jazz tunes.

Tributes were paid to the pioneering women who had been at the forefront in the struggles against racial and gender oppression. Speaking at the ceremony the mayor hailed Dorothy Nyembe and other stalwarts of the struggle, saying they represented "a rare breed of leaders".

The park was named after Dorothy Nyembe following a lengthy public-participation process.

Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, of the ANC Women's League, paid tribute to Dorothy Nyembe, describing her as "a courageous and resilient woman".

A prominent ANC activist since the 1950s, Nyembe rose through the party ranks to become deputy chairperson of the ANC Women's League in Natal and campaigned fiercely for national liberation and for the rights of women. "She served one of the longest sentences as a political prisoner, but her spirit remained unshaken," Ralehoko said.

Mayor Amos Masondo was joined by provincial MECs, city councillors and members of the Nyembe family to celebrate Women's Day

The Dorothy Nyembe Park symbolised the City's commitment to improving the infrastructure in disadvantaged areas, Masondo said during the official opening of the park. "We will continue striving to ensure that most roads in the city are tarred by 2005," he added.

Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Mary Metcalfe, described the park as "an exciting development" which would give children a safe place to play, off the streets. "Children need places to play. Apartheid ensured our environment was degraded. We must now strive to restore beauty in our relationship with the environment and provide our children with proper places to play."

Earlier in the day the mayor and his entourage toured various projects undertaken by the R25-million Soweto Development Project, an ambitious programme to upgrade infrastructure in parts of Soweto. The programme has seen public lighting being installed and roads being tarred in sections such as Zondi, Rockville, Mofolo and Orlando.

The delegation also toured the Garden of Remembrance, in front of the historic Regina Mundi Church in Rockville. The church was the site of many anti-apartheid campaigns and battles.