The City of Johannesburg is facing backlash over alleged plans to sell parts of the Johannesburg Botanical Garden in Emmarentia, along with areas like Marks Park and the Pirates Sports Club, to private developers.
The goal? To make space for high-density housing and commercial buildings. These plans are expected to be discussed at a council meeting in August.
The proposal may also include other well-known recreational spots like the Field and Study Centre, Melrose Bowling Club, Killarney Country Club, and Zoo Lake, though nothing has been officially confirmed yet.
What’s upsetting many residents and sports clubs is that they only found out about this through a Johannesburg Property Company tender document. People who’ve helped maintain these spaces and built sports communities around them say they weren’t consulted and now feel blindsided.
Some Ward 88 residents became aware of the Marks Park development last month, which includes parts of the botanical garden. But according to Johannesburg Parks and Zoo spokesperson Jenny Moodley, the proposal was only meant to refer to Marks Park, and the garden was listed by mistake.
A public participation motion was supposed to be presented on 25 June, but it didn’t happen because council Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu was voted out that same day. On top of that, the motion had major issues like unclear property sizes, pricing, and confusion over whether the properties would be sold, leased, or transferred for housing.
Sports clubs say they’ve already been struggling with short-term leases, making it hard to upgrade or care for the facilities. Now, the proposed sale feels like the final blow.
These spaces offer a crucial green lung to the city, and are an integral part of its various communities. The sports complexes and facilities offer programmes for youth across rugby, baseball, and hockey, keeping kids out of trouble. These places bring thousands of people together every week. The planned developments would also put additional pressure on the already overburdened water supply and other failing infrastructure in those areas.
The DA’s spokesperson for economic development in Johannesburg says the matter still needs to go back to the Section 79 committees, the team that decides if a proposal should be heard by the council, which means, for now, everything remains uncertain.
