Dear concerned senior citizen,
I am one of the custodians of the Hamerkop Bird Sanctuary and also a ward committee member in Ward 70. Thank you for your feedback on this matter.
I would like to bring to your and the greater Florida’s attention the fact that the information shared here is not all clear.
Firstly, JRA in conjunction with City Parks and a couple of volunteers at the sanctuary have done amazing work since the time you refer to. The entire water channel from Hamburg Dam down to Hamerkop was cleared not very long ago. This I witnessed myself.
I would also like to remind the public that there were budget constraints the last couple of months due to the year-end period and that adds to the fact that it takes time to schedule the work required.
The councillor in question has been active in his own capacity in every single project we arranged.
Secondly, I would like to point out that the volunteers have a WhatsApp group which we use to communicate about the on-going projects at the sanctuary. Not everyone is privy to this information because they are not in the group due to their non-involvement.
I have had many requests from private individuals and companies wanting to be part of the project or promising some sort of involvement in all the time we have been assisting at the park. Very, and I place the emphasis on very, few of these people come through with their commitment. It remains the same as always with all community initiatives – only a handful, the old reliables, make good on their promises.
That said, if you have a passion for the park, say yes and join us, and let us hear less from the critics and more from the doers.
We invite anyone to visit the park and see what has been done and how clean it is. We are in dire need of funds to build cabin walls that will serve as a filter system at the entry point of the sanctuary. Then we will eliminate most of the storm-water debris entering the park’s water-body. Should there be anyone out there in these hard economic times willing to assist regarding this matter please contact me on 072 570 1710,
City Parks [and] Wetlands are looking at giving us more benches to install in the park, like they have done before, and we received wood to screen the street from the water section where the hide is situated. We just need volunteers to assist in putting it up.
We have many plans for the park, but we need a fresh water supply and a sewerage connection to make it more accessible to the greater public. This will all come in time. In the meantime, please visit the park, named the flagship of Wetlands Gauteng and praised by most birding societies in Gauteng.
Thanks for the opportunity to talk about this beautiful topic, the Hamerkop Bird Sanctuary.
