A picturesque oasis for relaxation, family outings and nature walks, Queens Park has become one of the Sol Plaatje municipality’s flagship recreational areas, offering residents and visitors a clean and welcoming environment. As part of the upgrades, four new braai areas have already been completed, while three additional braai facilities are scheduled for construction.

“Spotlights, playing equipment, fireplaces and concrete tables and chairs are to be installed,” said Sol Plaatje municipal spokesperson, Thabo Mothibi.

The new braai areas at Queens Park. Photo supplied 

The municipality is also making progress with the planting of water-efficient succulent flora to improve the park’s landscaping while promoting sustainable water use.

Beyond Queens Park, the municipality’s Parks and Gardens Unit spent the past week cleaning and maintaining several prominent public spaces across Kimberley. 

These included the grounds surrounding the Cecil John Rhodes statue, Bloukomboom, the open spaces at St Cyprian’s Cathedral and the Synagogue Monument area.

The Cecil John Rhodes statue, commissioned through public subscription, commemorates Rhodes’ influential role in the region’s diamond mining industry, his founding of De Beers and his wider imperial ambitions. Sculpted by Sir William Hamo Thornycroft, the monument was unveiled on 4 December 1907.

The statue has remained a source of public debate. In 2020, artists staged a protest at the monument by reading anti-colonial, anti-apartheid and anti-racism poetry. 

The monument is enclosed by a fence that was erected following the success of the 2015 Rhodes Must Fall movement at the University of Cape Town. For many residents who lived through apartheid, the statue remains a painful reminder of South Africa’s colonial past.

Another site receiving attention was Bloukomboom, named after the blue gum trees introduced from Australia during the late 19th century. The trees have become a familiar feature of Kimberley’s landscape and history. 

Maintenance also extended to the grounds of St Cyprian's Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman. The cathedral is renowned for having the longest nave of any church in South Africa and is dedicated to St Cyprian, a third-century North African martyr.

Cleanup at Kimberley’s key parks and historical areas. Photo supplied 

Mothibi said the Parks and Gardens Unit is responsible for cleaning, maintaining and beautifying 52 parks within the city’s central business district.

 To strengthen its capacity, the municipality will bolster its workforce with an additional 40 personnel from the Northern Cape department of economic development and tourism in the coming week, supporting ongoing efforts to maintain and beautify public spaces across Kimberley.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg

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