Lori Cynthia Coogan

Attendance

Present

53

Leave of absence

10

Absent without leave

1

Arrived late

3

Left early

1

Reasons given for leave: Ill health (4), Other (2), Private business (2), Party business (2).

"Absent without leave" means the signed minutes of a meeting held while they were on council neither list them as present nor excuse them, and no similar name appears that day, so misspellings in the minutes don't count against anyone. Each square links to the minutes.

In the chamber

From the 10 sittings transcribed so far in their term. Times are approximate, to the nearest transcript line.

Not present when called

0

Times given the floor

1

Average wait to start

26 s

Average greetings first

5 s

Apology or leave of absence (1)

• 24 Jun 2026 · 00:26:29Leaving early. DA notified departure at 2:00. sitting

In their words

Every time the chair gave them the floor in a transcribed sitting (1), newest first. The words are the AI transcript of that stretch of the livestream (Argon), so they can include the chair or an interjection; the time link is the place to check.

• 25 Jun 2026 · 06:00:07Items 1-4 · 4 min 7 s

  Read what they said (496 words)

  Can I start, Speaker?

  Please Councillor Coogan, do start. Your clock is starting.

  Good afternoon, Speaker. Speaking on the third quarter of JCPZ, all protocol observed. Firstly, I wish to address our world-renowned urban forest in Johannesburg. We need a detailed plan for the planting of indigenous trees and shrubs in our urban landscape. We continue to plant trees that are susceptible to the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer. We also continue to plant trees on our narrow, largely impenetrable pavements.

  Councillor Coogan, just hold on. Thank you.

  Can I continue? Hello?

  You can carry on, Councillor Coogan.

  Okay. We also continue to plant trees on our narrow, largely impermeable pavements, and there is no diversion of rainwater runoff to supplement and mitigate their perpetual drought conditions. We continue to cut and chop the trees because they don't fit in the narrow, arid space they've been allocated. We also have mature trees which in their quest for water push their roots through the tar in the roads and through the paving on the sidewalks.

  The allocated space for the height for mature trees is also an issue, with mature trees growing through the electric power lines to reach the sunlight. We can do much better in terms of rendering our urban forest more sustainable and much less costly to maintain. We also need to rethink our trimming, care, and overall maintenance of our protected areas.

  Oh, sorry. Excuse me. With our reserves, like the dilapidated fencing on Melville Koppies, Vorna Valley vlei, the maintenance of our parks and the allocation of budget to our traffic islands and road reserves of our arterial roads like Bowling Avenue.

  So often our green areas look unkempt and uncared for, and we have to continuously push for our green areas to be maintained. The entire budgeting and management of these areas needs to be undertaken in a more sustainable manner, as these areas are the natural assets of our city. Our rivers and other waterways should not be polluted. They can be cleaned with bioremediation technology where the sludge is digested

  by bioremediation and its aerobic bacteria. It is disingenuous to continue implementing non-effective technologies. Our waterways and our green areas should be our spaces for leisure and recreation. In addition, we need to stop the closed shop operation of Environment and Infrastructure and JCPZ, where

  they do not share with the public and with our councillors what is happening to climate-proof our city. I think this detail is extremely important and we need to have our KPIs and within the various facilities and entities in the city. Lastly, I would like to say that the DA is not against development.

  What we want is

  37 seconds, Councillor Coogan.

  for the two to work together, and that basically we're able to have clean and functioning rivers, well-kept spaces, and allow people a quality of life and good places to go to, and therefore want to invest and live in. Thank you.

Spoke on

• 25 Jun 2026 · 05:59:38DA on urban forest and green spaces (JCPZ)