| New park opens in Bram Fischerville |
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| Written by Emily Visser | |
| Wednesday, 30 April 2008 | |
The poor suburb of Bram Fischerville now has its own green lung, after Region C and City Parks built an inviting park for the area. NEW parks are shooting up like veld flowers all over Johannesburg - and not only through the work of City Parks. Region C has put its weight behind the City's efforts to green Soweto, and on Tuesday, 22 April proudly handed over a new park to one of its poorest areas, Bram Fischerville. The handover formed part of celebrations held the world over to commemorate Earth Day. And what better way to do this than by turning two patches of barren ground into a green lung for the suburb. Region C contributed R500 000 to build the park, confirmed the regional director, Callie Coetzee, too much applause. City Parks provided all the labour free of charge and added another R80 000 to the kitty. And, as an added bonus, Region C developed the remnants of an old dumping ground nearby into a green space, with shade-giving trees, braai areas, benches and grass. "I hope this marks the beginning of many big things for the area," Coetzee said, speaking at the hand-over.
Community development 
The brass band mentored through the community development programmes of the Pro Musica Theatre Company in Roodepoort performed at the event.
Pro Musica has been running a community development programme for disadvantaged individuals interested in learning brass instruments for the last 12 years, confirmed its community development officer, Christine Lesenyeho. The programme was extended at the beginning of this year to include training in dance, choir and string instruments. A number of indigenous trees saplings were handed out to community members during the ceremony. Ultimately, the whole community would benefit as a total of 15 000 trees would be planted in Bram Fischerville and Meadowlands over the next week, said Jenny Moodley, City Parks's spokesperson. City Parks also issued a call to action to all communities in Johannesburg. "Residents are urged to plant trees in their respective suburbs and businesses are invited to fund the planting of street trees," Moodley said. If City Parks can get the necessary sponsorship and support, some 200 000 trees will be planted by the end of this year. With the Earth Day project and the 24-hour extreme park make-over planned in May for Diepkloof, the tally of trees planted since 2006 will grow to over 78 000.
Township trimmings 
Adults watch as children play a variety of games in the new park
The community's joy at receiving their new park spoke for itself. Women ululated to show their appreciation, while toddlers hid shyly behind their mothers. Grannies and granddads sat smiling in the front row. Those same shy toddlers were later seen queuing to have a go on the bright yellow slide; nearby, a group of teenagers had taken over the merry-go-round and with heads thrown back to catch the wind, were screaming with delight. Adults relaxed in the shade of the indigenous false olive trees, already casting a small but welcome shadow, or enjoyed the peaceful gurgle of the nearby fountain. The park also has a number of braai areas, which means weekends will no doubt become outdoor affairs. "That's for sure," confirmed one happy Bram Fischerville resident. The area takes its name from apartheid struggle hero Bram Fischer, who worked for a better life for all South Africans. Instead, for many years after his death, the suburb was a reminder of how people do not want to live. But, said the member of the mayoral committee for development planning and urban management, Ruby Mathang, during the ceremony, "today we have done a little bit to create a better life for Bram Fischerville". To donate a tree and leave a living legacy, send an email to City Parks, on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Related stories:
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