Support This Fundraiser to Save Zoo Lake Pool Before Summer

Friends of Zoo Lake Pool are reaching out to the Joburg public to help raise funds to give Zoo Lake Pool the maintenance that it deserves, so that it can once again welcome locals in the summertime. Find out what you can do to help.

Zoo Lake Pool fundraiser image by Heather Mason | What's on in Joburg — Image credit: Heather Mason from 2Summers

How you can help save Zoo Lake Pool

In 2028, the Zoo Lake Pool will celebrate its 100th birthday. But before it can reach that milestone, it faces a critical challenge: leaking inlet and outlet pipes that are causing significant water loss, and unless repairs are completed before the 2026/27 season begins, the pool will not be able to open.

While the City of Johannesburg provides R200 000 in annual maintenance funding, years of compounded wear have resulted in this amount no longer covering all the pool’s needs. As a result, Friends of Zoo Lake Pool (FoZLP) – a registered non-profit company dedicated to restoring and preserving Zoo Lake Pool – are asking for your help to raise R400 000 to replace the pool’s failing pipes.

FoZLP has begun appealing to provincial government for additional support, but since that process will not be resolved in time for the pool to reopen for summer, public donations are essential to meeting the 1 September
2026 deadline.

In partnership with the City of Johannesburg, restoration will proceed in phases, starting with the urgent pipe repairs, before further fundraising phases will help fund repainting, infrastructure upgrades and other maintenance as the pool approaches its 100th anniversary.

To make your donation, visit the campaign donation link at backabuddy.co.za.

The historical significance of Zoo Lake Pool

Zoo Lake Pool’s story is tied to the history of Johannesburg. The wider park was brought to life in the early 1900s around an artificial lake, and the pool itself was built in the late 1920s as the city grew and demand rose for public swimming facilities.

Nearly a century later, it retains its original charm, including the unusual square shape that has captured the hearts of generations of swimmers. Today, the pool remains one of Johannesburg’s few open-air municipal pools – affordable and open to the whole community.

It’s a summer fixture for families across Joburg and is home to a swim school and a water-polo club.

Make a donation

If you have anything to give and would like to see this city landmark restored to its former glory, consider making a donation via backabuddy.co.za. The goal is to have all money raised by 1 September 2026 for the first phase of repairs to be completed by the summer of 2026.