Randfontein’s old bird sanctuary has been in the news for undergoing a facelift and the ward councillor of the area cannot wait for the project to be completed.
The old Con Joubert Bird Sanctuary park in Helikon Park used to be known widely for its beautiful and unique birds that were endemic to the area. But the sanctuary has waned and turned into a wasteland of a wetland.
The Randfontein Local Municipality (RLM) announced in March that they have big plans for the sanctuary. The Herald broke the news and in an earlier statement from the municipality, they said R12 million will be allocated to the project.
Since the last article, the project has made progress. The foundations for the educational centre, restaurant and offices will be laid out soon. Some of the grass has been cleared from the site to make room for what the municipality is planning.
When the Herald visited the project site with Craig Harrison, ward councillor of the area and Johan Lourens from Endemic Developments who is in charge of construction, they explained the project should be completed by around this time next year.
He said they cleared a significant amount of reeds from the dam in the middle of the sanctuary but that more still needs to be removed because the reeds are too dense. Johan plans on planting 500 trees so birds have enough place to perch after the reeds have been removed.
A path will be built laid out right around the circumference of the sanctuary. Bird hides will be erected and a picnic area will be available for residents.
Craig said whenever he drives from his home, which is nor far from the sanctuary, he drives past the site just to see what progress has been made.
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Also read:
Major tourist attraction planned for Helikon Park
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