There are bovines galore at the farm, but sorry, no bull-fighting

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The green and serene grounds of the JW Farm

Fun at the farm for Joburg residents October 15, 2003 By Lucky Sindane THE Bovelder cattle farm north of Johannesburg is expanding its operations into creating eco-friendly recreational facilities for the residents of the city. The farm, owned and run by Johannesburg Water, has identified land within a nature reserve on the property to develop for recreational activities such as bird watching, mountain biking and even sports events like soccer and netball. This land, known as the Diepsloot Nature Reserve, was proclaimed as a reserve in 1960 and forms part of the green belt in the area. Originally, the farmland was used as a buffer zone around the Northern Wastewater Works. Bovelder cattle were introduced to the land and an extensive breeding programme was developed. Now JW is planning "to increase the recreational use on its farm and at the same time protect and improve the nature reserve status of the farmland", the company said in a statement. "This is an indication of JW's commitment to protecting and preserving our natural environment." JW, which took over the farm when the unicity was established in 2001, decided to expand the operations of the farm, depending less on the farmland as a treatment option. "This has allowed JW to extend the recreational use previously permitted on the farm," said JW communications and marketing managers Jameel Chand. Plans are underway to extend the use of the nature reserve on the Northern Farm to include eco-recreation, educational facilities, sports and motorised activities. "JW would like to encourage public recreation in the pristine nature areas the farm has to offer," the company said. At present, visitors can picnic in the nature reserve; do a bit of twitching - "the birds are plentiful", according to Chand - walk through the green belt, or play some sport. Some facilities already exist on the property, including areas where people can play soccer, basketball and netball. "Visitors are encouraged to come along and use the facilities," Chand said. Other activities in the pipeline include mountain biking and horse rides. The company was also considering allowing a section of the land to be used by model aeroplane enthusiasts. Once the changes have been made to the property, families will be charged an entry fee, which will cover all the activities, such as the use of the horses on the farm. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za