A day before Heritage day brings good news to those that have patiently awaited unrestricted access to the Company’s Garden. Following an agreement reached between The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, the last section of the controversial and arguably unsightly barbed wire around Government Avenue has been removed.
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Erected after an inferno broke out in Parliament at the start of the year, the initial purpose of the barbed wires was to reinforce security. That same day the suspected arsonist Zandile Mafe was arrested and allegedly confessed on 29 January.
Nearly ten months later and the barbed wire remained, disturbing the daily walks of countless city dwellers. The City of Cape Town viewed this as “an unlawful obstruction of… an important thoroughfare in central Cape Town.”
To celebrate the occasion, a strapped up Hill-Lewis joined forces with the City’s Parks & Recreation staff on a mission to begin cleaning up the area. He shared a playful video of himself on Twitter joking around with a leaf blower.
Take a look:
Good news! Government Avenue is open again! SAPS has agreed to remove their barbed wire, and today we’re back here after 10 months to clean up leaves. Lots of leaves. ?
I came to help our Parks & Recreation staff clean up and tried out the leaf blower. ? pic.twitter.com/ASuHDNAfmg
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) September 23, 2022
But what about the safety of Parliament now?
The City of Cape Town says SAPS will now instead restrict unauthorised access by placing a barrier on the inside of the parliamentary precinct. This will effectively reinstate freedom of movement for pedestrians without compromising parliament.
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Picture: @CityofCT / Twitter