Zoo Lake, in Johannesburg, celebrated its 100th birthday recently. In 1904, the land around the Johannesburg Zoo and Zoo Lake in the Herman Eckstein Park was ceded in trust to residents of Johannesburg to be used as a public park, by Werner Beit and Company which later became Rand Mines. In February 1906 the council looked at the possibility of establishing an artificial lake. Once agreed to, it became a job-creation project for the poor. The first boating licence was issued in 1911. Much of the parkland was originally marshland and formed part of the Sachsenwald plantation which was owned by the Braamfontein Company. The trees were sold as timber and other trees were planted to see which tree was best suited to the Highveld.
Percy Fitzpatrick, who was acting head of Rand Mines, eventually started housing sick and injured wild animals which he brought back from his hunting trips. When his wife objected to them roaming around, they were put into enclosures and people came to see them. These enclosures were eventually converted into the Johannesburg Zoo.
Started in 1949 by the Johannesburg City Council's welfare department and Rotary, Carols by Candlelight has become an annual event attended by thousands of people.
In 1956, Margot Fonteyn danced Swan Lake with the lake as a backdrop as part of the city's 70th celebrations. Two years later, pennywhistler Spokes Mashiyane played at the lake and a young white woman was seen dancing to his music. Pressure was put on the council to declare Zoo Lake a whites only park but the council said the deed of gift did not distinguish colour between people of Johannesburg and it would only change the park if national government would finance an amenity of the same size in a black area. This was not taken any further and the lake remained open to people of all races.
The Coronation Fountain, which stands in the middle of the lake, was built in 1937 to commemorate the coronation of King George VI. In 2003 the fountain was restored at a cost of R350 000, mainly through fundraising and with money from Johannesburg City Parks and the city's arts, culture and heritage services department.