Dear Park Supporters,

Thank you for standing with us. It's time to expose the full truth about the individuals behind Mushroom Park Activations who are now prosecuting community volunteers for cleaning up their abandoned mess.

The Contract They Never Honored

In 2021, Francis Chikasha and Mushroom Park Activations signed a contract with the city. In exchange for the right to monetize music events and large gatherings in our park, they committed to the following upgrades:

What They Promised vs. What They Delivered

• Clean and maintain the park ❌ NOT DONE
• Provide 24/7 security ❌ NOT DONE
• Develop rubberised jogging trail with distance markers ❌ NOT DONE
• Install doggy poop stations with bags and dedicated dog area ❌ NOT DONE
• Remove wooden play equipment and install modern playground ❌ NOT DONE
• Install children's trampoline centre ❌ NOT DONE
• Install new ablution block with childcare facilities ❌ NOT DONE
• Upgrade outdoor gym equipment ❌ NOT DONE
• Repair and replace the collapsed bridge ❌ NOT DONE
• Develop solar hub, WIFI and cameras throughout park ❌ NOT DONE
• Install electric vehicle solar charging stations ❌ NOT DONE
• Install lighting throughout the park ❌ NOT DONE

Total delivered to the community: ZERO

What They Actually Did??? - What we do remember are the numerous large, noisy electronic music festivals that:

• Created massive noise pollution across Sandton/Sandown
• Damaged park paving, infrastructure, and grass
• Left thousands of bottle caps and debris for residents to clean up
• And most egregiously: Francis Chikasha has recklessly and intentionally endangered park users—especially our children—by abandoning dangerous balloon equipment since 2014 and refusing to remove it or make the area safe.

This is the same equipment they're now claiming is worth R3 million and suing us for removing at City Parks' request.

Why This Matters
Mushroom Park Activations has been liquidated. Their contract should be null and void. Yet they continue to weaponize the legal system against community volunteers who stepped in to do what they never did: make the park safe.

We call on City Parks to formally terminate this failed collaboration immediately.

And now The Good News: Progress with City Officials
While facing these baseless charges, we've made significant progress with legitimate city authorities:

August 2024 Meeting with City Parks
Truffles met formally with City Parks leadership, and together we charted a path forward for the park's betterment. The MD of City Parks committed to naturalizing and regularizing Truffles' tenure and investments. The egregious litigation was amicably halted.

September 11, 2025 Meeting
Another productive meeting with JCPZ (park caretaker) and JPC (landowner) took place. Johannesburg Property Company ("JPC") has committed to "a process of obtaining formal approval from council" following MFMA and supply chain policies, ensuring "fairness, equitability, transparency, competitiveness and cost-effectiveness."

This is what accountability looks like: a fair, transparent process with open books, based on merit.

Truffles' Track Record: Actions Speak Louder
Since 2018, Truffles on the Park has been a genuine catalyst for good:

• Our Investment in YOUR Park (2018-2025):
• Rent paid to the city: R2,659,555
• 24/7 Security: R2,085,601
• Park Maintenance & Upgrades: R1,385,520
• Total community investment: R6,130,676

This doesn't include all the 2025 improvements detailed in our previous update: playgrounds, swings, chess board, solar lighting, trees, and upcoming toilet facilities and kiosk.

The Contrast is Clear

Mushroom Park Activations:

• Made 12+ promises: Delivered zero
• Took money from the community through events
• Damaged the park
• Left dangerous equipment abandoned for over a decade
• Now suing volunteers for R3 million

Truffles on the Park:

• Invested over R6 million into the park
• Created safe spaces for children and families
• Works transparently with legitimate city authorities
• Continues to improve the park despite harassment

What We Need From You

• Continue sharing this petition - The more people who understand this corruption, the harder it is to sustain
• Contact Ward 91 Councillor Andrew Steward - Demand he explain why he supports liquidated contractors over his own constituents
• Share your own experiences - Have you enjoyed the park improvements? Were you affected by the abandoned balloon equipment or the noisy festivals?

The Bottom Line
This isn't a legal dispute—it's corruption fighting back against accountability. They had their chance to serve the community and failed spectacularly. Now they're using bogus charges to intimidate those who actually did the work.

We won't be silenced. We won't back down. With your support, transparency and community good will prevail.

Thank you for standing with us. We appreciate you!

 
Next update: We'll report back after the November 17th court appearance.