The Tree of Light at the Johannesburg Zoo

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Tree of Light to shine at zoo THE Johannesburg Zoo will again be lit up with the Hospice Tree of Light, which will brighten up the evenings before Christmas. November 25, 2005 By Ndaba Dlamini THE Hospice Tree of Light will again be brightening up the evenings at the Johannesburg Zoo this year, and again the public is urged to support the charity initiative. It has been 10 years since the Tree of Light first appeared, and this year there will be 10 000 globes on the tree. The lights will be switched on at a ceremony on Sunday, 27 November. "The tree symbolises the loving messages sent by families of people who have lost loved ones during the course of the year," says Desre Murray, the development manager at the Hospice Association of the Witwatersrand. The event is also a fund-raising opportunity for the association. People are encouraged to buy globes for R50 each, and companies are urged to pledge their support by sending dedications for R250. At the switching on ceremony, choirs will sing, alongside Jacques Terre'Blanche of Idols. Placed next to the zoo's administration building, the tree will be lit up every Friday and Saturday, and on public holidays from 5.30pm until 8pm until 23 December. "On Fridays, the public will be entertained by story tellers who will tell stories by the fire side. Children will also have the time of their lives on Saturdays when puppet shows will held," says Sophia Ntshali, events officer at the Joburg Zoo. Entrance to the zoo is free from 5pm for the switching on ceremony, and then R13 until the last evening the Tree of Light is on. For more information contact the zoo on 011 464 2000 or the Hospice Association of the Witwatersrand at the Tree of Light website. 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