The festive season is upon us and this is the time when many residents, especially work colleagues from local organisations, flock to the Boksburg Lake to hold their office Christmas parties and picnics.
However, information gathered by the Advertiser revealed the main sections of the multi-million rand facility will not be ready to host your outdoor events.
The metro confirmed the main facilities remain closed to the public because it is still battling to secure enough money to build toilets, which form part of the completed project to restore the facility to its former glory.
Metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said, “The area is closed due to the outstanding construction of the ablution facilities. Building plans are still going through the approval process. But, due to budget constraints, the ablutions will not be constructed in this financial year.”
However, despite the lack of toilets, the multi-million rand elliptical amphitheatre at the lake is available to the public to host its events, according to Dlamini.
The project, which started about seven years ago, has seen the metro pumping over R20-million into the now completed main phases of the project to revitalise the facility. This amount excludes the about R4-million spent on the renovation of the boathouse, and the R2,1-million spent on the construction of the amphitheatre at the Boksburg Lake.
The project prompted authorities to close the main sections of the lake.
Poor maintenance
The Advertiser recently revisited the area and found that the facility, even the newly revamped sections, which remain closed, had become an eyesore, buried in jungles and vegetation and left to vandals and scrap metals scavengers.
Responding to a question about the lack of maintenance, which has seen the property, including the boathouse yard, turning into jungles of some sort, Dlamini said the planned maintenance was scheduled for October 15.
However, the removal of the massive trees with clear telltale signs that they might be likely to fall over in violent storms and strong winds will have to wait while the department is trying to get enough funds to deal with the removal of trees.
When asked about the appointment of a security provider to safeguard against vandalism or theft of equipment at the lake, Dlamini said there is security to safeguard the boathouse and lake; however, vandalism remains a major challenge throughout the City.
Also Read: Boksburg Lake’s upgrade of facilities moves into next phase
