Zoo Lake facelift

Although attendance from residents living in the Zoo Lake area fell short, it did not put a damper on proceeding as guest speakers, Ward 117 councillor Tim Truluck and community liaison for the Zoo precinct, VictorZikalala shared plans on upgrades to the zoo and lake.

Zikalala, who was appointed by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo said the city had big plans for one of Joburg residents’ favourite park, and things were going well thus far.

Truluck praised the efforts of the community liaison and the city for appointing someone to this role.

“In the past, the city would go about their way and not inform residents of the plans or progress; having a community liaison minimises the possibility of communication misunderstandings,” he said.

One of Truluck’s biggest projects as a councillor was the revamp of the park that is home to some of Joburg’s biggest festivals including the annual Jazz on the Lake, and the Wlut walk.

Truluck said considering that the lake was an attractive venue for hosting such big events, it was important for the city to put some money into developing it.

“Master plans include constructing new walkways, a new parking lot, and separating the sporting facilities from the entertainment facilities, hence the construction of the amphitheatre,” said Truluck.

“There is a lot of money being spent on the zoo and the lake, and throughout the years we have seen an increase in people visiting both – thus residents living in the area will be relieved once the new parking lot has been built.”

Chairman of the Zoo Lake Users Committee, Graham Wright said it was important to encourage the involvement of residents in such plans.

“Those living in the area have abandoned the uses of Zoo Lake, and I find it a priority to encourage more residents to support and visit the [area],” he said.