Something fishy with ‘e-tolling’ Florida Lake
The lake belongs to everyone, says City Parks.
A group of anglers is hot under the collar because they feel they have been ‘e-tolled’ at Florida Lake.
Neil Beyers and a few friends were fishing on the afternoon of 26 February when a man driving a white bakkie approached them. Right from the start, according to Beyers, the man allegedly appeared to have had an ‘attitude’. The man allegedly did not greet them and only introduced himself as ‘Deon’, deputy chairperson of the Roodepoort Angling Club (RAC).
Beyers said the man told them they had to join the club if they wanted to fish at the lake but when they declined, he allegedly became rude and said that he was tired of their … [expletive]. They then told him to phone the SAPS or City Parks to resolve the matter but according to Beyers he said that these two entities were ‘useless’ and that he would ‘get members of the club to forcibly remove them’.
Deon Germisthys, who is the deputy chairman of RAC, denied allegations of his being rough-handed with the anglers but did admit that he got upset. He denied that any of his comments had racial undertones.
“Metro Police and City Parks do not do their job so we have to. We ask anglers whether they have permits and see to it that everybody adheres to the basic rules,” said Germisthuys.
City Parks had the last say. According to spokesperson Jenny Moodley, they have had complaints in the past from people saying that the angling club members act as if the lake is theirs. She says this is nonsense.
According to Moodley it is a City of Johannesburg amenity for all to enjoy. Anglers can fish where they want and the only prerequisite is that they have a Gauteng fishing permit (R35) and that they obey the catch-and-release rule.
She also says that there is no signage forbidding any one to fish at the lake.
For full article read the next edition of the Record.
