City Parks accused of neglecting the ‘Joburg heart’

The Joburg heart is a statue of two hands holding a heart and it is positioned in the landscaped area on the corner of William Nicol Drive and Republic Road.

David Potter, Ward 102 councillor said the Joburg heart serves as the welcome point to Sandton and it could be a tourist attraction if it was well taken care of.

Potter said he was disgraced by City Parks’ failure to look after the landscaped area. He was particularly unhappy by the lack of grass and the dead plants.

“The centre of Republic Road from William Nicol Drive to Main Road, next to Bordeaux South is a disgrace too,” he said. “Weeds, litter and stones all over the place. This is in need of some time and attention.”

Pauline Dickson, Ward 102 committee member said, “Willowild and Hurlingham have recently conducted a litter clean-up and many bags were filled. It goes to show how this suburb and others are clearing their own surroundings. With this much help, surely the department is free to do their routine work without reminders.”

An official comment was requested from City Parks. However, no comment was received by the time of publication.