Ward 74 Councillor Belinda Echeozonjoku urged residents to take note of the hiring processes for open spaces

Ward 74 councillor Belinda Echeozonjoku highlighted the procedures required to hire the city’s recreational parks and spaces.

Echeozonjoku said, “There seems to be a misconception that councillors approve events that happen in the ward. The only role councillors play is to acknowledge that they are aware of an event that is happening in the ward.”
The councillor explained that she received the following guidelines from City Parks regarding events held in parks or facilities in open spaces in Ward 74.

City of Johannesburg and Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo Facility Hiring Processes and Laws:

• The City of Johannesburg and its entities, including the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), make provision for the hosting of events in open spaces. If applicants comply with the application processes as well as events legislation.
• The City of Johannesburg has a compliance framework, which is considered essential, regarding the planning of events and is enshrined in the ‘Safety and Sports and Recreational Events Act No.2 of 2010’ which governs the Joint Operations Committee (Joc) in conjunction with the City of Johannesburg by-laws.
• The City Events Joc Committee is responsible for granting approval to event organisers, to stage events on the basis of the event safety and security plans presented to the committee, which are legally binding and related to the compliance framework, whilst meeting all the Joc requirements and city by-laws.
• An application in terms of regulation (13)2 of the Gauteng Noise Control Regulations, issued in terms of the Environmental Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989) to host an event at the public space, by the event organises, has to be applied for and the city has to grant permission based on the application.
• An environmental noise specialist is appointed to do the noise monitoring for the event, during the specified times of the event. The noise monitoring is undertaken along the boundaries of the property, in the vicinity of the open space and at the venue where the event is taking place.
• The noise decibel level by-law, restricts sound levels to a maximum of 95 decibels and is determined by the appointed environmental noise specialist on the day of the event.
• SAPS undertakes risk gradings of events and classifies events at public open spaces on a scale of low, medium and high. With regards to the event hosted at the James and Ethel Gray Park on April 1, the event was classified as a low-risk event.
• An environmental impact study is not legislated for the hosting of an event in an open space.
• Ward councillors and residents have no authority to give consent for any event to be staged (in addition they have no rights by submitting an objection via or through Joc) as it is the function of Joc to approve events based on the inputs of all relevant departments.

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