Zoo Lake's history as a gathering place

The more than a century old park in Johannesburg was bequeathed to the city by wealthy landowners who insisted it be open to all races. During apartheid it was one of the few places where people of all races could gather without segregationist laws.

Zoo Lake draws crowds from across the region

The park hosts festivals, picnics and wedding shoots. It is a paradise for joggers and walkers from all corners of the city. Stokvel societies, church sects and people celebrating Eid ul-Fitr gather there on weekends.

Community volunteers keep the park pristine

Teams of volunteers plant and prune, donate resources and interact with the municipality about Zoo Lake's welfare. The City recognises the park's centrality to Gauteng life and tries to pay attention to its upkeep.

Weekend litter transforms the park

Walk through Zoo Lake on a weekend morning or Monday and it is covered in polystyrene containers, empty cooldrink cans and bottles, plastic bags and KFC boxes. The mess lies scattered just centimetres from dozens of empty bins throughout the park.

The cycle repeats daily

After cleaners pick up rubbish Zoo Lake returns to pristine condition. By the end of the day it is Armageddon all over again. Pass by the next morning and the litter has returned as if nothing changed.

“Who cares? Somebody else will pick it up and I'll come back again some other time and find it as clean as I found it this time.”

The problem extends across South Africa

This is not the story of an elite suburban park. It is the story of so many public spaces throughout South Africa. Citizens drop things everywhere, toss cigarette butts out of windows, urinate on roadsides and do not care about their surroundings.

Littering signals broader municipal failure

A dirty city shouts failure and fuels failure. In the greater context of local government failure littering might seem peripheral. But it is not as important as collapsing infrastructure, corruption, community safety and struggling municipal finances.

“A dirty city shouts failure and fuels failure.”

President calls for safety audits in municipalities

President Cyril Ramaphosa instructed that every municipality must begin a women's safety audit without delay. Audits must identify broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and poorly secured parks.

New governments must prioritise public cleanliness

After the November elections new local governments should devote as much attention to public cleanliness as they do to service delivery and finances. It is not an add-on. It matters as much as other municipal responsibilities.