On Saturday, 20 July, members of the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch (RNW), Ward 83’s DA candidate, Dr Florence Roberts, the councillor for Ward 71, René Benjamin, and some residents showed their green credentials as they cleaned up the Roodepoort Lapa.
The clean-up, which was held on the corner of Amaryllis and Wilde Amandel Avenue in Roodekrans, was part of Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba’s drive.
Residents were urged to keep the park clean.
After the cleanup, the Record journalist, Dr Roberts and various residents took a walk around the park while Andreas Oberlechner, who is the chairman and legal adviser for RNW, vowed that they will continue with clean-ups in the area, and told us more about the river that runs through the park.
“This river is the source of the Crocodile River. It starts near the Witpoortjie railway station and runs through the gorge between Roodepoort and Krugersdorp, which is said to be the deepest gorge in Gauteng, and supplies water to the Botanical Garden,” said Andreas.
He went on to say that the river was an open sewer for years, but, for the past two years, RNW members have been making sure that they stop all sewage leaks into the area.
“We have been doing amazing work in stopping the leaks and it has been very successful. In conjunction with the Botanical Garden, we do water testing on a daily basis, testing the oxygen content in the water, because if there is sewage in the water, the oxygen level drops immediately and we can deal with the situation,” he said.
Andreas commended the fast response of Joburg Water and the other stakeholders when they report a drop in the oxygen levels.
“The result of what we do is crystal clear water flowing by. For the first time ever, we are going to re-stock this river with fish and monitor the water levels,” said Andreas.
He concluded by saying that they will continue with such clean-ups around the area.
