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Johannesburg Property Company said many of the leases in question were signed more than 30 years ago and need to be reviewed.
A canoeist paddles across Emmarentia Dam. Picture: Michel Bega
Patrons of Johannesburg’s most popular recreational parks and sports facilities are fuming as the municipality begins the process of redefining cherished community spaces.
The Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) denied any ill intentions but explained the need to maximise the facilities’ potential for profits. JPC manages the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) properties.
Residents and club members were recently alerted to the city’s plans after receiving notices warning of the potential development of the city-owned properties.
Some of the properties under review include the botanical gardens in Emmarentia, Marks Park, the Pirates sports club and the Killarney Country Club.
Review of leases and reclassifying land
The process will entail reclassifying portions of land, but only after an extensive public participation process.
Residents have been angered by the belief that the properties could be sold to property developers or used for social housing purposes.
However, JPC’s general manager for commercial and city-focused interventions, Sizeka Tshabalala, suggested this was a “misconception”.
Tshabalala said the process was aimed at reviewing how the city was compensated for the land use as current agreements were “not talking to our current business model as the city”.
“If you look at the terms of those agreements, you can see that it doesn’t make any business sense. It is incumbent on us as JPC to look at those leases and revise the terms of those leases,” she said.
Marks Park, Wanderers Stadium, Killarney Country Club, Pirates sports club and the Ruimsig sports precinct in Roodepoort all fall under Tshabalala’s portfolio. She confirmed all were earmarked for review.
City of Joburg needs to ‘move with the times’
Portions of West Park cemetery, Melville Koppies, and the botanical gardens in Emmarentia were also listed in city documents earmarked for development.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) also denied the beloved shared spaces would be developed, stressing the municipal documents being shared were inaccurate.
“The original report was riddled with errors and incorrectly included the [area’s] parks. Please note Marks Park is not demarcated as a park, but a sports facility,” JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley told The Citizen.
JPC spokesperson Lucky Sindane explained that many of the leases in question were signed more than 30 years ago and that the city needs to “move with the times” as it looks to increase revenue.
Sindane added that the low rentals were being abused by the clubs, which were erecting auxiliary facilities, such as lucrative padel courts, and generating income that was not filtering into city coffers.
On the notices mentioning public housing, he stressed that “nothing was cast in stone” and that public participation sessions would determine the best use for the land.
Not here for profit
Jenny Giles from People for Parks Conservation (PPC) — who fought and won this same battle to save Marks Park and Emmarentia in the early nineties — expressed her deep distrust of the municipality.
“We know they are as poor as church mice and they need money but none of these places are supposed to be money-making, they are green lungs that this city needs desperately,” said Giles.
“This land is actively used and relied upon by the public. Selling it to private interests would take it away from the community, damage the environment, and violate the city’s duty to protect public assets.”
JPC’s proposal will still need to be discussed in the relevant Section 79 committee, but ward councillors stressed that although the process was extremely laborious, it was equally irreversible.
“Once council adopts the item and authorises the process, it sets the wheels in motion toward disposal of public open space,” stated Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker.
“This is not a drill. This is not harmless. It is a statutorily-defined alienation process, initiated on misleading premises,” Jonker added.
‘In line with legislation’
However, JPC’s Tshabalala said the process was in line with the Municipal Asset Transfer Regulations and will involve input from both the provincial and national treasury.
The public participation sessions will outline the future parameters of the land uses, as well as required alignment with the city’s priorities.
“Once I receive that council approval, I will engage with the community, and that will also advise whether there is still room for the leasing of these properties, whether there is still an opportunity for further redevelopment. Redevelopment also looks at the usage of these properties,” said Tshabalala.
Using the Ruimsig sports facility as an example, Tshabalala explained there were large pieces of undeveloped land that were the target of land invaders and vandals.
Mentioning Marks Park, she said “there were several portions of land that are underutilised” and that Killarney Country Club had “potential for other uses that would supplement” golf activities.
“We are not imposing what needs to be developed on these properties, but we see an opportunity to comply with the legislation and to take into consideration what the communities need,” Tshabalala stated.
“As the owners of the properties, the city should be deriving income out of these properties, which talks to the market value thereof,” she said.
Joburg’s sports clubs worried
Despite this, some of Joburg’s prominent sports clubs have expressed their concern.
Brad Guymer, the chairman of Pirates Club, said it has been engaging with the City of Joburg over the past six months to “better understand our long-term position” and “secure the future” of the club.
“Pirates Club still has 10 years on its existing lease and will do everything to ensure that we remain a positive and active member of the community for decades to come. We will continue to keep our members informed as developments unfold,” he said.
The Diggers rugby club in Randburg said 900 families will be affected if it loses its grounds.
“Diggers is more than a sports club. It’s a lifeline. A legacy. A second home. We are a family forged by rugby — and we refuse to lose that,” it said.
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