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The Zoo Lake, once a favourite and a popular place for Joburg residents and tourists for picnics, boat rides, sporting games, dining and leisure with restaurants and pubs, is in a state of disrepair, yet there is money allocated to Johannesburg City Parks for the maintenance of this facility.

This is especially saddening considering that Zoo Lake was once rated one of the best tourism sites in Joburg but now remains an eyesore, having been neglected by the Johannesburg City Parks.

During my oversight inspection and engagement with the Zoo Lake Users Committee at the Zoo Lake, I discovered that the various amenities at Zoo Lake has been neglected and vandalized.

The light fittings are all broken and vandalised. The bird island has been destroyed and the area around the boathouse is also in a terrible state.

There are also five different spots where displaced persons have settled and are allegedly selling drugs, while illegal prostitution is also taking place. This poses a safety and security risk for park visitors, especially children. The braai facility has been hijacked, with charging of usage for braai stands by these displaced persons.

Furthermore, Johannesburg Roads Agency is constantly failing to maintain the stormwater drainage system with water coming down towards the lake washing away the sand, foliage, and ground cover into the dam.

This has been made worse by the closure of Zoo Lake’s popular restaurant, Moyo’s because of exorbitant rentals by Johannesburg Property Company.

Based on our estimations, it will cost over R2 million to fix this facility to make it great again.

The residents have now taken it upon themselves to clean the Zoo Lake, with gardening and refurbishing of the basketball courts.

The Parkview Residents Association bought a tractor to cut grass because Johannesburg City Parks is failing on its core mandate of maintaining this park.

Many outside investors are prepared to invest in this facility at a reduced rental fee, however, Johannesburg City Parks and the Johannesburg Property Company are not cooperating. This could help to save this tourist attraction from total collapse.

The DA demands that the Joburg Mayor, Cllr Jolidee Matongo, must ensure that Johannesburg City Parks conducts regular maintenance of the Zoo Lake.

The Zoo Lake is one of the City’s tourism sites that has a big potential of boosting the local economy and attracting investors and we will not sit and allow the ANC-led administration to jeopardise such a precious resource for the residents of Johannesburg.

When the DA takes over the government of the City of Joburg after the local government elections, we will ensure that we promote public private partnerships to revitalise Zoo Lake and make it a great hospitality and tourism destination. We will engage with outside investors and negotiate for affordable rentals for the upkeep of this facility, and we will ensure that Johannesburg City Parks fulfils its mandate of regular maintenance of this tourist hotspot.

Issued by DA