Residents rally again — reclaiming neglected Happy Valley - Daily Maverick

After hundreds of volunteers helped clean up the neglected beachfront park in July, residents and businesses are returning to Happy Valley for another community-led restoration effort on 19 September – this time for Tourism Month.

Nelson Mandela Bay residents and businesses are being called back to Happy Valley in Gqeberha as efforts continue to bring the once-popular beachfront park back to life.

The Port Elizabeth Hotel Group, which organised a major clean-up of the park for Madiba Day in July, is planning a second clean-up as part of Tourism Month, and initiatives around World Coastal Cleanup Day.

The July clean-up showed the scale of the work still needed at Happy Valley, with hundreds of volunteers clearing overgrown vegetation, repairing damaged infrastructure and restoring a pond that had become filled with rubbish.

Once one of Gqeberha’s best-known family attractions, the park has deteriorated through years of neglect, vandalism and security problems. Parts of the grounds are overgrown and damaged, leaving residents reluctant to visit some areas.

Tiffany Naidoo of the Port Elizabeth Hotel Group said: “Our Madiba Day clean-up earlier this year really highlighted just how much work is still needed in Happy Valley.

“While we made a meaningful difference on the day, it also opened our eyes to the scale of the challenge and how much still needs to be done,” she added.

Naidoo said the restoration work had been divided into phases, with the group currently focusing on the section leading from the ocean to the first green gate.

“There is a substantial amount of work ahead of us, and our intention is to keep building momentum,” she said.

“Happy Valley is a beautiful and important part of our city, with enormous potential to be a space where residents, visitors and tourists can come together, enjoy the outdoors and take pride in our environment.”

The park, which stretches from Humewood Beach towards the former Telkom Park, was once known for its fairytale and nursery rhyme installations, illuminated walkways and attractions that drew families to the beachfront.

Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan previously said the deterioration was the result of neglect, a lack of law enforcement and other factors.

“People grew up knowing Happy Valley,” he said at the July clean-up. “But it’s because of neglect, because of lack of law enforcement and a number of other things – it’s deteriorated.”

The decline is not limited to Happy Valley. Businesses and residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the condition and safety of parts of Gqeberha’s beachfront, mentioning inadequate lighting, vandalism and a lack of visible law enforcement.

The municipality has since deployed 17 law enforcement officers along the beachfront through the Mandela Bay Development Agency.

The group hopes to eventually make Happy Valley a place where residents, visitors and tourists can once again spend time outdoors.

“With September being Tourism Month and the clean-up taking place around World Coastal Cleanup Day initiatives, our ultimate goal is to create a cleaner and more inviting Happy Valley – a place that people want to visit, explore and enjoy,” said Naidoo.

Unlike the July event, there will be no formal partners involved in the September clean-up. Naidoo said the group would like the event to be an opportunity for wider community involvement.

“We simply wanted to create a platform for the community to come together and make a difference. The invitation is open to everyone, because this is about what we can achieve together,” she said.

Ian Millar chair of Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch (SNW) previously described Happy Valley as a place that remained “very dear” to residents who remembered it in its better days.

“So to reclaim Happy Valley is a very important thing,” he said. “We have to look at this place as a tourist place. We have to tidy it up. We have to bring it back to its former days.”

Naidoo said the restoration of Happy Valley would take time. “This is not an overnight initiative, but we believe meaningful change starts with people being willing to roll up their sleeves and take action,” she said.

Residents, businesses, community organisations and other groups are encouraged to get involved in the ongoing effort to restore the valley.

People can join the clean-up with family, friends, colleagues or neighbours, to help clear the park and improve the space for the wider community.

“The more people who get involved, the greater the impact we can make,” said Naidoo.

Residents are invited to join the clean-up at Happy Valley, Summerstrand, on Saturday, 19 September, from 10am to 1pm.

Volunteers should meet under the bridge at the first green gate. Gloves, black bags and sanitiser will be provided. Bring your family, friends or colleagues and help give Happy Valley some much-needed care. DM