The sound of laughter and screaming fills the air at Riverlea’s newly unveiled Jukskei Park, which is located along Jukskei and Gamka Streets in the south west of Johannesburg. Children in the neighbourhood are ecstatic about the new and improved play equipment. On school holidays, the park is usually packed by 10am with children taking advantage of every new feature the playgroup has to offer.
Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by a freshly painted cerise pink wall with the park’s name ‘Jukskei Park Riverlea’. The first entrance to the park is immediately to the left, with a football court with silver metal goalposts.
Two soccer goalposts and two tall basketball nets occupy the court.
The outdoor gym and play equipment, located near the park’s second entrance, are painted in a kaleidoscope of colours and built on a black, maroon, and red soft surface for safe use and running.
Further on, brand new red and grey brick pathways lead you past numerous new goalposts by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), both of which recently commemorated the former President’s 9th anniversary of death.
The freshly cut lawn is home to cement benches scattered throughout the park for comfortable sitting.
There are also several trash bins in the park, and their clean, paperless appearance suggests that the community makes good use of them.
Best friends Deandre, Vernon, and Devandre, three curious little boys who are overjoyed about the new amenities, are playing next to the park’s pathways.
They pause to take in the mural, which was unveiled alongside the new park as a tribute to Madiba, and are inspired to share their stories.
“I am very pleased with the park; the paint is new, and the park is clean. “We can play all day without getting hurt,” Devandre says.
“Don’t forget the new Nelson Mandela portrait. He’s done a lot for the country,” Vernon adds hastily.
Deandre, the more reserved of the three, only mentions that the park has become his favourite place to be.
Jenny Moodley, JCPZ General Manager for Stakeholder and Public Relations, says the R2 million multipurpose park was designed in close consultation with locals.
“The transformation of this previously neglected dumping site into a dedicated recreation area has helped create 12 jobs and empowered 12 local enterprises, which will assist in revitalising Riverlea to benefit a predominantly marginalised community, living adjacent to the railway transit system,” Moodley explains.
She adds that the park will also be the symbolic home for the Nelson Mandela foundation’s One Million Tree Campaign, which aims to promote environmental justice and food security, whilst mitigating the effects of climate change.
Jukskei Park in Riverlea is an ideal place to bring community children together, keeping them out of trouble while giving them a sense of hope.
Written Sascha-Lee Joseph
29/12/2022