Dam’ new look is a breath of fresh air for Lonehill residents

The Lonehill dam has a history dating back to the farmlands of Fourways. Recently it has been in disarray. But as the new year starts, so does a new beginning for the dam.

The dam located at the Lonehill Nature Reserve and Park was revamped by the Lonehill Residents Association alongside Ward 94 councillor David Foley who told us it was long overdue.

A local park user, Felicity Smyth, sights, “Herons nesting with chicks in the willow trees, red bishop weavers in the reeds, moorhen on the island, yellow-billed ducks swimming and Egyptian geese waddling through the park.”

She goes on as she gushes with pride over the breathtaking revamped look of the park, “Fish swimming in the water, swifts and swallows skimming it. And that’s just watching life go by. So heartfelt congratulations to all involved in getting our neighbourhood wildlife spot up and running again. Nature and people are very happy to have it back,” she described.

Foley said, “Well, the repairs have been a long journey of engaging and waiting for anything to happen. I escalated this up into the City of Joburg to the MMC for Community Development; City Parks and Zoo and the MMC for Transport as in the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) but a key part is that the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development needed to approve for any water bodies to be repaired and addressed.

“That is where it got stuck for almost a year before they gave the JRA the go-ahead for temporary repairs. Myself and the Lonehill Residents Association, especially Nadeem Abrahams, took dual responsibility to keep driving this. When approval was given a contractor was appointed and started the work on November 23. Luckily the rains were delayed and the bulk of the work could be completed.”
The Association was not available for comment at the time of print.

Foley commended Jack Tlisane for a job well done. “So far, by placing the gabions where the dam bank broke through. The dam has started filling nicely and the community is excited. There is still a lot of work to be done, which includes a front concrete barrier to limit the seepage and a 20cm covering of the gabions to ensure the final product is smooth for the community to traverse the bridge. A wheelchair and pram ramp will be part of my planning for it to be user-friendly to all residents. Jack’s team will be back around January 8 to start the final stages of the bridge.”

Nicholas Geladaris took his best friend Lauren Williamson to relish sundowners while catching up during the holidays in December. “We were pondering why our Joburg mental block refuses to allow us to take more advantage of our few open spaces because Cape Town does it so incredibly well. If you compare Joburg to Cape Town we lack their creativity to take advantage of our open spaces.”