Alfred Woodington, CBD resident, writes:
The lake is haunted by its past.
During the 1988-89 withdrawal of buying-power by black residents of Boksburg, the Boksburg Lake and the banning of blacks, from it, remained the central theme of the year-long boycott.
The “stench from the lake” started then.
Many people, black and white, stayed away from it as it became associated with Afrikaner cultural activities. Subsequently, the CBD continued to suffer a decline. This was made worse by the sudden and continued development of shopping centres and malls outside and away from the CBD.
Up to that period, there existed a thriving economy both on and around the lake and in the CBD.
With the relocation of business to more “suitable” premises, outside of the CBD, many buildings lost tenants and floor space stood empty for long periods.
It is worse today, because some of these landlords, wanting to recover their losses, increased the rent or sold to new owners who also increased rentals to pay off their bonds.
This is a self-destructive cycle, as it pushes small traders onto the pavements and open spaces of the CBD even worse, liquidates these little enterprises.
The lake problem must be tackled in conjunction with the revival of the CBD. All property owners must become involved. The CBD contains a number of historical buildings.
Many of these are “owner-occupied” and well managed. A large number, unfortunately, leaves a bad taste.
The Ekurhuleni metro itself is owner of quite a few buildings, even around the lake, and must set the example to improve neatness and business attraction.
Those owners who are mere landlords, must show greater responsibility by improving their buildings and not just collect rent. Only when we accept collective responsibility for the CBD and its revival as a living, trading and entertainment space, shall we make progress.
It becomes much easier dealing with large corporations who opportunistically exploit the decline in standards in the CBD to dump their waste, in such a potentially attractive public amenity.
Without pointing fingers, I believe that the baggage of the past is forcing us into this narrow approach.
The Boksburg Lake remains a well-intended donation to Boksburg and must be treasured as such by all of the city.
Derek Fox of the Boksburg Lake Forum writes,
How do you argue that the closure of the lake in the late ’80s is the reason the lake looks like it looks today?
To blame something that happened 20 years ago is typical of the ruling party’s approach to everything, blaming the legacy of Apartheid, it’s the AWB’s fault, it is everybody’s fault but theirs.
Woodington along with the ruling party also needs to share the blame and take responsibility for the state of the lake and the CBD.
The mall and the development of the mall complex is not the reason the CBD looks like it looks. The mall is the result of a CBD in decline that has forced business out.
If the bylaws (what bylaws?) were applied to the CBD such as policing of loitering, littering, urinating in public (a first step could be the reopening of the facilities in the CBD, which have been locked for some time), the removal of pavement traders to a safe place to trade, and the removal of the people illegally occupying buildings.
The late Clr Mike Mason introduced a programme called CID (City Improvement District) to the Boksburg CBD, which never gained traction due to lack of support and funding.
There was the discussion of cameras and a control room to monitor the streets of Boksburg with these cameras, again because of costs, this was never implemented. The current ClrJohan Hendricks, cannot even get council to repair damaged walkways in the CBD, let alone anything else.
I agree with Woodington, the CBD needs to be fixed, but he needs to present a plan that will get the support of the business and citizens from the CBD that they will support, to date, every initiative that has been taken
But the lake has nothing to do with the CBD, it is an asset to Boksburg but in its present form it is a liability.
Will the municipality ever have sufficient budget to ensure the upkeep of the lake, is the answer to commercialise the lake; is to make the lake smaller; is it to remove the lake altogether? Hardly anyone goes to the lake at present, so would it be such a big deal if it were to be removed?
