National monument disrespected

[caption id="attachment_39223" align="alignright" width="250"] AT HOME: Brenda Matthee's picture of the inside of one of the buildings in Port Elizabeth's Fort Frederick, in which a man has made his home[/caption]

IT had been some years back since I had visited our historic Fort Frederick in Belmont Terrace, so I decided to drop in there on my Sunday afternoon drive. The outside looked quite all right with the lawn just cut, but a lot of rubbish was lying around despite there being bins available.

I was very excited to enter this majestic fort with the most magnificent views over Algoa Bay and the Baakens Valley. There were also other visitors inside when I entered the beautiful, thick wooden doors into the fort.

To your right there is a small building that I presume was used as an ammunition store and when I peeped inside there was a man sleeping on a mattress with clothes and stuff lying around. There was even a calendar against the wall!

At first I did not know what to make of it.

I then entered the blockhouse that consists of four rooms. Here some clothing was lying around, but the most disgusting is that this building is used as a toilet.

Human excrement was lying all over and the stench was unbearable! I hurried outside after the son of a Scottish tourist who had also entered, just turned around in his footsteps with his hand over his nose.

As a resident and also a councillor of this metro, I never felt more embarrassed in all my life.

I had to do something and rushed to my vehicle to fetch my camera. On my return I went back to the "house" where the person had been sleeping and found he was now awake.

I asked him whether he had permission to stay here and he said the municipality had asked him to see thereto that visitors didn't get robbed. Of course I did not believe him and he was so drunk he could hardly stand on his feet.

When I wanted to take a picture he ran away.

Another sad thing is that the South African flag inside the fort was hanging half-mast and that after the Springboks had had a resounding win the previous day over the Scots. I'm not aware of someone important who has died, so I wondered if this was an indication of the ANC's death in the metro?

I contacted the operations centre and the woman I spoke to said they would send out security to remove the person who was making his home inside the oldest building in Port Elizabeth. It was built in 1799.

Captain Francis Evatt, commandant of the fort for 34 years, would have rolled over in his grave if he had to see what I saw on Sunday. I trust the metro will sort out the security at this historic site and clean up the mess inside.

We cannot allow that the disrespect of our historic landmarks chases away our last visitors. Sies, man!

DA councillor Brenda Matthee, member of public health standing committee, NMBM