When residents became angered by the Godfest Concert held at Johannesburg Botanic Gardens in January 2024, ERA put together a Google survey form to gather your views. See below for what you told us.

Of the almost 100 residents that responded, more than 90 per cent of you were negative about the event.

The single biggest complaint related to the volume of the event. The other most common complaints related to the designated community liaison being unresponsive to residents’ calls to address the excessive noise, parking on the streets around the park entrances caused disruptions to traffic and the claim that several criminal acts occurred after the event.

Recommendations made by ERA:

ERA is not opposed to music events at the various appropriate facilities in Emmarentia but, to ensure minimal adverse effects on the residents of the area, we would like to recommend the following:

1. That organisers be asked to stipulate what time they will do sound checks the day before and that they adhere to these times at all times

2. That organisers who fail to adhere to the conditions must be penalised e.g. not allowed to hold the function again at that venue; pay a fine to the venue etc.

3. That the City provide their own person to help monitor the sound if the event organiser is disputing the noise being made

4. That ERA be invited to the preparation meetings with SAPS, JMPD and the event organiser beforehand

5. That event organisers comply with the City’s time frames and give advance notice of an event so that residents have time to prepare. In the Godfest case, they were given permission the day before the event which caused problems for the venue and for residents.

ERA has sent the survey to Councillor Jonker for her attention and requested her to submit to the JOC, the City committee in charge of events across the City.