An aerial view of the former Congella Sports Club along Umbilo and Hannah Road in Durban. Criminals and homeless people invaded the club house.
Three once-popular sporting facilities in Durban's Umbilo area have fallen into severe disrepair, with criminal activity, vandalism and illegal occupation now overshadowing spaces that once served as important community recreation hubs.
The condition of the former Congella Sports Club, Frere Tennis Club and Ray Keyte Tennis Club came under scrutiny during a recent eThekwini council meeting, where Ward 33 councillor Fran Kristopher raised concerns about the future of the neglected facilities.
Kristopher said the facilities were no longer serving the communities they were built for and had instead become magnets for criminal activity and illegal occupation.
“These spaces attract criminal elements and are now posing a huge threat to the surrounding residents and businesses,” she said.
