Getting ready for tee off

A driving range is being installed at Soweto’s Dorothy Nyembe Park, the most recent in a series of upgrades to the park undertaken over the past eight years.
THE swish of golf balls soaring through the air will soon join the therapeutic bubbling of a natural wetland running through Dorothy Nyembe Park in Mofolo North, Soweto as the building of a driving range by City Parks nears completion.

Dorothy Nyembe ParkDorothy Nyembe Park in Mofolo North is getting a revampIt is the latest in a series of improvements to the reserve. A master plan for the development of the park was prepared in 2003, when Dorothy Nyembe received its first makeover.

Pedestrian walkways, bridges, multipurpose sports courts, soccer pitches, and braai and picnic areas were constructed as part of the development. This cost R2,2-million. Further work was undertaken in the 2004/5 financial year, when an environmental education centre and a muti garden were built, and soft and hard landscaping was carried out.

A nursery was built later, in the 2009/10 fiscal year.

This steady upgrading through the years did not mean City Parks felt its work was done, however. When the organisation received an allocation of R750 000 from the City in the 2010/11 financial year, it decided to put the money to good use.

The City was awarded this money in the National Vuna Awards for its Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which is responsible for executing development and green programmes across Joburg.

“A decision was made to channel the investment towards enhancing an existing facility and further develop Dorothy Nyembe Park,” said a City Parks spokesperson, Noeleen Mattera.

Ready for tee: Dorothy Nyembe ParkReady for tee offA driving range was tabled for construction, the second in Soweto after the range at the Soweto Country Club. The project included erecting safety fencing, planting trees for shade, and adding a bunker and tee-off box.

“Safety fencing has been installed to prevent balls from damaging windows in the neighbouring houses,” Mattera said.

Hydro-seeding was also part of the project; it is a planting process whereby a mixture of seed and mulch is sprayed over prepared ground.

“The project has been completed, except for the hydro-seeding, which could not be done due to cold weather during winter,” she said. But the warmer weather has arrived and the hydro-seeding has begun. The driving range will soon be open for business.

Also on the cards for the Dorothy Nyembe Park is a Wendy house, for which City Parks has received quotations and is waiting to begin building.