September 8, 2006
By Lucille Davie
A HUNDRED people planted 100 indigenous trees in celebration of the centenary of Zoo Lake, and Arbor Week, on a glorious spring day on 7 September.
Organised by the Zoo Lake Users' Committee, some of Joburg's famous and not-so-famous residents gathered around guest speaker, human rights advocate George Bizos, who planted his tree with much enthusiasm.
"I am a gardener," he said, smiling at the crowd, "I'm going to fill it in properly, even though some of you want to go and have a drink."
Carefully mixing compost with top soil, he commented: "This is a good spade."
Zoo Lake, the city's most popular green lung, is unique in that it has remained open to all races throughout its history.
Park upgrades
The park was donated by a group of Randlords to the citizens of Joburg in February 1906, and has been celebrating its centenary in a number of ways.
The bird island towards the southern end of the lake was rehabilitated this year, with new trees planted and new platforms erected for bird roosting.
Another goal this year is to see the conversion of an old storeroom into a satellite police station near the lake. Lucy Taylor, co-ordinator of the committee, hopes to raise the last R200 000 needed for the police station. So far almost R300 000 has been raised.
Eager Joburgers planting their trees at the lake
Other projects undertaken in recent years by the committee include a revamp of the central fountain in the lake, new bins and signs, three drinking fountains, the establishment of a river trail, the upgrading of footpaths, a water quality improvement programme, a new playground and ongoing tree planting.
The opening of Moyo restaurant at the lake now sees even more people flocking to the park to take in the ambience of the intriguing space, which the owners have created.
Moyo, together with Johannesburg City Parks, donated the 100 trees. The parks department spent much of the week digging the holes, and partially planting the trees for the centenary event.
Bizos remembers
Bizos, in a stylish panama hat and matching pale yellow tie, reminisced about his early days in Johannesburg, after arriving as a refugee in 1941.
"Zoo Lake has always been my favourite place," he said. He recalled how, for less than a shilling, you could hire a boat for an hour or more, or longer, and nobody seemed to mind.
He said he used to catch a tram from Braamfontein and spend Saturdays and Sundays at Zoo Lake. "It gave me much pleasure." He even took his girlfriends to the lake, instead of the cinema.
In 1954, Walter Pollak, leader of the Bar in Joburg, was asked by the then municipality to give his opinion on prohibiting blacks from going to the zoo and Zoo Lake. Pollak rejected the idea. "He said that even in South Africa the people of South Africa means all the people."
Advocate George Bizos planting his tree at Zoo Lake
Bizos lives in the vicinity and passes the lake every day, on his way to work at the Legal Resources Centre. It gives him much pleasure to see the lake, he says. "The place gives joy to so many people."
In 2001 Bizos was invited to plant a tree at Zoo Lake, in celebration of Arbor Day, and the olive tree still thrives. "It is better than all the others," he says, with a mischievous smile. Then he revealed why. "I come with fertiliser and a watering can, and give it an advantage over the others."
Before unveiling a plaque and picking up his spade, he concluded: "I am very pleased to be here. Let us see what we can do to make the whole of Joburg look like an urban forest."
From space, the northern suburbs of Johannesburg look like a green smudge, which is why the city is described as an urban forest.
Once Bizos's tree was planted, people wandered over to the tables of refreshments provided by Moyo. Then, amply refreshed, they strolled around the park in search of the trees allocated to them, picked up their spades with relish, and photographed each other adding their contributions to Joburg's greenest lung.
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 |
