‘Completed’ Zwelihle playpark raises questions just months after opening
Thursday, 3 September 2026
Ishmael Mabena | 2 Sep 2026
A municipal project to refurbish a children’s playpark in Zwelihle has been marked as “completed”. But the space remains unsafe for children and in poor condition. Now residents have raised questions about what was delivered with the money allocated to the project.
“It has not even been four months since this park was built here,” one resident told Hermanus Times.
The Zwelihle playpark formed part of Overstrand Municipality’s Ward 5 Ward Specific Projects for the 2025-’26 financial year after being identified as a priority through the Ward Committee and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process.
According to the municipality, a site visit and communication with Ward 5 councillor, Bongiwe Nombula took place on 14 May ahead of the project’s implementation. “After which the relevant line department [would be] responsible for the planning, design, implementation and technical execution of the approved project”, according to the municipality.
The municipality’s project schedule records an allocation of R100 000 for the refurbishment of the playpark. It records expenditure of R57 907, or roughly 58% of the allocated amount, while the project’s status is listed as “completed”.
This apparent discrepancy has raised questions about what work was included in the project, what was spent and how the municipality determined that the project had been completed.
“A week after the park was built, we had to replace some of the chains on the swings because they broke and children were still playing with broken swings,” said one resident.
Nombula was asked to provide a detailed breakdown of the work carried out, explain the difference between the R100 000 allocation and the R57 907 expenditure and clarify when and by whom the completed project was inspected and signed off. She was also asked whether the municipality considers the park safe for children in its current condition and whether further remedial work is planned.
In response to the questions, Nombula requested a meeting with Hermanus Times to “explain everything”, saying “I am not happy at all with what they did in those parks”.
Another park revitalised
This comes as another public park in Hermanus has undergone a substantial revitalisation – albeit through a markedly different funding model.
Swallow Park, in the Hermanus CBD, remains wholly owned by the Overstrand Municipality, according to the Hermanus Business Chamber (HBC), which facilitated its recent revitalisation.
The HBC says the project mobilised more than R2 million through cash contributions, sponsorships, private donations and in-kind contributions from businesses and individuals.
“Total expenditure was R1 914 325 with a further R9 459 ring-fenced to assist with future maintenance,” said Jana Smith, HBC chairperson.
Smith added that the project was officially identified as a Ward 3 priority in the Overstrand IDP, with R40 000 contributed to the Swallow Park beautification project.
However, unlike the playpark project, the revitalisation was not funded solely through a municipal allocation.
The HBC says it acted as the administrative custodian of the project’s funds, processing payments to contractors, suppliers and service providers, while the project also received support from the Western Cape Government’s Tourism Growth Fund.
According to Smith, the project was “a model of collaboration, bringing together the public sector, the private sector, regional artists, donors, civic organisations and individual community members”.
Maintaining municipal projects
Swallow Park was supported by a significant pool of private and public contributions, while the playpark’s project was a municipal Ward Specific Project.
But for residents who use the two spaces, the contrast has raised a broader question about the condition and maintenance of public recreational facilities across the municipality – particularly where municipal projects have already been identified as priorities.
“One weekend, the children were throwing the stones inside the park at each other and one of them obviously got hurt,” another resident said. “I had to drive him home afterwards because he was bleeding and most likely required serious medical attention.”
A resident who approached Hermanus Times during the park visit asked: “If a children’s playpark was identified as a priority, funded through the municipal planning process and officially recorded as completed, why does it remain in a condition that is unsafe for the children?”