To Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, and Councillor Margaret Arnolds (Member of Community Development in the City of Joburg

Open spaces, nature reserves and parks under the jurisdiction of Joburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) have been closed to the public since before the hard lockdown was put in place on the 26th of March.

Even with the implementation of Level 3 Lockdown on June 1st, JCPZ areas have remained closed. In a statement, you released later on June 8, the rationale you provide for the continued closure of these public parks and protocols thereof, you state as being “in place to protect the wellbeing of residents and safeguard families.”

The statement goes on;

“The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Joburg (CoJ), Councillor Margaret Arnolds appealed to avid-park users to comply with the temporary lockdown measures in Level 3 as Joburg remains a hotspot due to the surge in the number of Covid-19 infections.”

It is now over 80 days since the public was allowed access to JCPZ areas. The recent downgrade to Level 3 of the lockdown has seen open spaces in provinces such as the Western Cape being opened up – this despite the Western Cape and particularly Cape Town being considered a ‘hotspot’ of Covid-19 infections. Table Mountain National Park (SANParks) with the exception of certain areas particularly prone to areas of high pedestrian congestion - Boulders and Cape Point - have been opened to the public. On Friday 12 June, various CapeNature reserves were opened to the public and CapeNature has indicated that there will be a phased reopening of additional reserves as well as areas and hiking routes etc. This week it was also announced that golf courses across the country may reopen.

In your June 8 statement, you mention that you (blod my emphasis);

“appealed to residents to comply by staying at home where possible; keeping spaces clean; adopting safe distancing; wearing a mask and washing our hands regularly.”

With the reopening of other open areas and the standard requisite Covid-19 protocols being implemented that users are expected to observe whilst accessing these areas, I see no justifiable rationale for the continued closure of JCPZ areas.

Neither the government nor the National Coronavirus Command Council, has provided any indication when the country will move into Level 2 of the lockdown. In the same vein, there has been no communication revealing any intention to open any city parks.

With provincial borders remaining closed, the opportunities for residents of Gauteng to explore natural areas and reserves are limited, particularly as City Parks remains closed. As a conservation body, JCPZ is no doubt aware of the health benefits of exercise and being outdoors in natural spaces, not to mention the relief that it would no doubt provide to many residents who have likely experienced heightened stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the precedent being set in the Western Cape of opening reserves and parks, as a resident of Johannesburg, I am submitting this petition to:

1)    Receive clarity on and a definitive date for when JCPZ parks will be re-opened via accessible communication channels;

2)    Receive a reasonable and justifiable explanation for;
    a)  the continued closure of JCPZ areas and,
    b) why JCPZ areas should not be opened immediately with the requisite social distancing protocols that you encourage in your June 8 statement.

3)    For JCPZ to lobby, should the decision to re-open city parks not be within your control, for re-opening parks with the relevant authority that has the power to do so.

We, the undersigned, look forward to your response and action on this matter.