Spring has sprung in Fourways, and the first signs of the season are blooming right along Fourways Boulevard, stretching all the way to Cedar Road. The fresh blossoms are not just a delight to passers-by, but also to Ward 94 councillor David Foley, who says he has been blown away by how the newly planted trees have transformed the area’s look and feel.

Just a few weeks ago, Foley led a high-profile operation to remove informal traders from Winnie Mandela Drive and Fourways Boulevard, working closely with Fourways Mall management, to restore order and uplift the precinct’s aesthetics.

The action was not only about beautification; it was about enforcement of the law, as traders are prohibited from operating on provincial roads, and Winnie Mandela Drive falls under that category.

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In their place, a neatly landscaped garden has now been established, one that is also poised to blossom in the spring sunshine. While some informal traders, like Blessing Mlambo, were unhappy with the move at the time, mall management, and the councillor, insist the clean-up was necessary to protect both safety and order in the busy intersection.

Determined to give the area a facelift, the mall partnered with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo to plant 200 trees, with some reserved to be planted during Mandela Day. Though many were still young at the time, they have now started to bloom in spectacular fashion, right on cue for spring.

“It is so beautiful, and just in time for spring. I cannot wait to see all these trees fully grown,” Foley said during an oversight visit this week, visibly impressed with the greening initiative that now frames one of Fourways’ busiest corridors.

Nico Mbumi, representing Fourways Mall and spearheading the beautification project from the very beginning, said he’s thrilled about how the trees are showing off. “This was my wish, to see the place green, and it is becoming exactly that. The trees are watered by me and my landscaping team. We water at least twice a week because they are also low maintenance.”

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The tree planting was also done in partnership with Ishmael Mutileni, from We Serve Landscaping, who carefully planted the tree species around the mall, lining Winnie Mandela Drive, stretching from the intersection onto Fourways Boulevard and down to Cedar Road, and including the verges on the road.

Mutileni said that the transformation won’t take long. Once in the ground, the trees are expected to bloom in a few months, bringing life, colour, and a sense of renewal to the heart of Fourways. And they are doing exactly that. “The trees are called Celtis Africana. They were selected because they are beautifully evergreen during their season, and they don’t have invasive roots, which might damage the road. They are also very low in maintenance.”

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