Residents decry Joburg council's

Residents are seeing red after a council agenda suggested that several public spaces and greenbelt areas

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The term of art is "alienate" - and that sums up how Joburg's long-suffering ratepayers feel about opaque moves by the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) to sell, transfer or alter the leasing arrangements for several iconic parks and facilities designated for public use.

The agenda of the City of Johannesburg council's meeting on 25 and 26 June included items referring to the possible “alienation” (release or sale) of several properties managed by the JPC. Apart from Marks Park in Emmarentia, sites listed included Pirates Sports Club, the Killarney Country Club and properties in Zoo Lake and Parktown. The language used led many to believe the City was poised to sell or privatise large swathes of treasured recreational land, which also has significant ecological value.

A widely circulated petition, supported by residents and descendants of the original land donors, has already attracted thousands of signatures, with 96% in support at the time of publication. It demands that the City and JPC withdraw the agenda item and guarantee public recreational use of the land.

Anchen Dreyer, a great-granddaughter of Louw Geldenhuys, said the land was zoned as public open space, and that any move to alienate it would flout both the donor's intent and multiple legislative protections.