Local woman helps revive Zoo Lake’s dignity

Fran Haslam, a local, who has lived in Saxonwold for 11 years, and has fond memories of visiting Zoo Lake as a child with her family, was inspired to be a Zoo Lake committee member after growing tired of the lake’s deterioration, erosion, and neglect.

Haslam said the lake housed her fondest memories of the community, which included feeding ducks with her family, attending the annual Carols by Candlelight event in December, and playing bowls at the Zoo Lake Bowls Club.

The resident explained that her concern over the years led to her becoming a member of the Zoo Lake committee in April 2015, and eventually taking over as chairperson.

ALSO READ: Guild Cottage’s 24 volunteers left Zoo Lake tidy

“When I was the chair[person] of the Parkview [Community Policing Forum] CPF, I worked with Lucy Taylor, who was one of the founders, and knew how hard she and her committee had worked in uplifting Zoo Lake. After Taylor left the committee, little had been done at Zoo Lake; it was neglected, the banks had become eroded, and it was depressing to see how neglected Zoo Lake had become.”

She added that she was passionate about Zoo Lake and wanted to continue Taylor’s legacy.

“Zoo Lake is a city gem, and we cannot let it go to wrack and ruin.”

Since Haslam’s involvement for the past 9 years at the lake, the committee has done the following:

• Rehabilitated the banks of the lake,
• Upgraded all the decayed and broken benches with our Adopt a Memorial Bench campaign,
• Paved around all the benches,
• Installed eco-fencing along the east side of the lake,
• Stabilised the banks of the southeast side with geocell webbing and gabion baskets,
• Introduced a waste management programme, installing new recycled tables and benches, and the well-used ‘selfie frame’,
• Upgraded the two basketball courts, and
• Planted several indigenous trees and water-wise plants around the lake, which have improved the environmental footprint and changed the monoculture around Zoo Lake.

Haslam noted that it was important to be involved and elevate the community because the City of Johannesburg is unable to maintain all its green open spaces.

ALSO READ: The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Walk ended at the Johannesburg Zoo

“Zoo Lake is an asset for the community to enjoy; it was evident during lockdown the importance of green open spaces. The literature demonstrated that the incidence of violent crime is lower amongst those communities that have good parks; it is a social imperative.”

Since Zoo Lake was gifted to the city in 1904 it has been a refuge for all the people of Johannesburg. It is a heritage and flagship park, and there is great love for Zoo Lake.

The team hopes to cap the stormwater drain opposite Jan Celliers Laerskool en Preprimêr, and plant 70 Indigenous trees in that area, along Lower Park Drive. This is a legacy project that they have been working on for 9 years.

“With the help of Jan Celliers, the community of Parkview, and the Saxonwold and Parkwood Residents Association (SAPRA), we have raised a significant amount of money to fund this project, and hope to raise the balance of the funding over the next few weeks. We have the approval of Johannesburg Roads Agency and [are] waiting for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo for approval,” noted Haslam.

She concluded that Zoo Lake has had several schools, colleges, and athletic groups approach the committee to assist with community hours and offer support.

Rodean Senior School, St John’s College, and St Stithians College assisted the team with the planting of the flowerbeds as part of their Eco project.

Greenside Design School assisted with the design project on open spaces, while Sacred Heart College helped with planting. “The Ridge School [was] the first school to assist when we launched the erosion project on June 1, 2019. Adidas Runners, as part of their, Moving the Planet campaign, assisted us with our mulching project on May 18.”

ALSO READ: Adidas Runners of Joburg play their part with Friends of Zoo Lake

Follow us on our Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok pages. Join our WhatsApp group for any story ideas you may have.