About Us
We are residents committed to restoring and reviving Zoo Lake
The Zoo Lake Users Committee (ZLUC) is a registered NPO of committed residents and dedicated volunteers working to make Zoo Lake our very own New York Central Park.
Our Aim
To reverse the decay and decline of the park after years of neglect and insufficient resource allocation, to work towards its rehabilitation, development, and ultimately being recognised as a world-class city park.
How we started
In 2015, a group of interested local residents resuscitated the old Zoo Lake Users Committee, which had become inoperative. In 2017 the new committee decided to register a new non-profit company, named "The Zoo Lake Development Committee NPC".
This is the vehicle through which the efforts to rehabilitate and develop the Park are now channelled. A board of directors was appointed from the volunteers and sub-committees were established to target specific projects.
Join the committee
The company is comprised of members who have shown an interest in sustainably restoring Zoo Lake. If you are interested in becoming a member of the company, please contact us at admin@zoolake.co.za.
As a member, you get briefings on company activities and can attend the Annual General Meeting each year to approve the accounts and elect the Board of Directors. Most importantly, however, we encourage members to become active in driving ongoing initiatives and projects.
Good governance
The Board has acknowledged that the governance of the company is extremely important if it is to be accepted and trusted by the City of Johannesburg and potential donors.
Accordingly, as part of that responsibility, the Board has accepted and committed the company to the values as set out by The Independent Code of Governance for Non-Profit Organisations in South Africa. An independent auditing firm audits the company's annual financial statements. View our latest Annual Financial Statement here.
In 2019, the company was granted exemption status in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act. This means that all donations made to the company may be deducted from the donor's taxable income. To learn more about the tax benefits, please click here.
Inspired by New York's Central Park revival
Zoo Lake in Johannesburg and Central Park in New York share a similar history. In the 1970s, Central Park suffered decay from neglect, overutilisation, and an attitude of the City managers of 'anything goes'. It became a dustbowl of drugs, crime and grime and was avoided at all costs by the local New Yorkers. In 1980, the people of New York decided to reclaim their park.
To do this, they first created a conservancy and appointed a manager to coordinate the resources of the community to restore the park. Through the combined and dedicated efforts of the people of New York, Central Park is today one of the most renowned parks in the world.
Central Park of New York has become a working model of the type of park and how it is administered, which could be used for the development of the Zoo Lake Park.
In 2019, two members of the founding committee of ZLUC visited Central Park in New York and established a connection with some of their administrators. The insights gathered have been extremely useful in setting a vision for the future of Zoo Lake.