The occupants of the vehicle started swearing at him and one of them punched him in the face, while another one kicked him.
THE WORST fears of residents living opposite a park in Royldene, which has become a spot for nightly revellery, came true when a city man was assaulted and driven over following an altercation with a group of youngsters frequenting the park.
The resident, who lives in Libertas Crescent opposite the park, said on Friday that his wife was waiting in the road for their driveway gate to open when a car came speeding past, narrowly missing colliding with her vehicle.
“There were three people in the vehicle, who were probably in their twenties. They parked higher up the road and I went over and asked the driver not to speed as it is a residential area and there are children around,” said the resident.
He said that the occupants of the vehicle started swearing at him and one of them punched him in the face, while another one kicked him.
“My wife phoned the police and in the meantime I took fishing rods out of their car to prevent them from driving off before the police arrived. It seemed like they had been at the river and had been drinking. There was also alcohol in the vehicle.”
The resident said he went to put the rods in his garage and when he approached the vehicle, a white Golf GTI, again the driver reversed and drove into him, knocking him off his feet. “It was a heavy knock as there was damage to the vehicle.”
He added that while he was on the ground, the driver tried to drive over him again but he managed to get out of the way.
“They also nearly hit my wife and children.”
He said that when the flying squad arrived, they let the three occupants of the vehicle drive away. “This was despite the fact that they had assaulted me and hit me with their vehicle, as well as the fact that they had been drinking.
“In fact, the police wanted to arrest me when I refused to get out of the way so that the youngsters couldn’t leave.”
He said he had to go to hospital to receive medical treatment.
According to the resident, he has opened a case of assault and attempted murder at the police.
“The problem, however, is that we, as residents, have warned the police repeatedly that this park has become a danger to residents in the area but nothing is done.”
The formerly pristine park in Royldene, which was previously maintained by residents in the area, has become a gathering spot for nightly revellery, after the municipality ordered that gates restricting vehicular access be taken down.
The erection of the gates, paid for by members of the community who were concerned about their safety, was stopped by officials from the Sol Plaatje Municipality more than a year ago – despite the fact that written authorisation granting permission to fence off the park was obtained from the municipality.
A resident in the area said previously that since then the park had deteriorated to nothing more than a dust bowl, littered with empty alcohol bottles, drug paraphernalia and used condoms.
“The 23 households who live in Libertas Crescent are tested nightly by youngsters, who stop their cars in the road adjacent to the park, where they have boot parties, play loud music, drink in public, use drugs and have sex. The music is so loud that it reverberates throughout the house.”
According to the residents, the number of vehicles varies on a nightly basis. “It can be two cars or 20 the next and it can be 6pm or 3am when they decide to party. There is always alcohol and drugs involved – so even if you want to approach the youngsters it is a volatile situation, where they become aggressive and it often turns into a racial issue even though there are often youngsters of all races partying in the area.”
