Furore over sale

Date: 14 December 2015 By: Isabel Venter

News that the Makhado Municipality is in the process of selling the stretch of land currently accommodating most of the town’s sporting facilities east of Makhado Crossing has sparked a furore among residents.

The area earmarked for the sale currently houses the town's rugby fields, the squash, gymnastics and wrestling club buildings, the sports hall and netball fields.

According to an advertisement published by the Makhado Municipality on 20 November in the Zoutpansberger’s sister newspaper, the Limpopo Mirror, the municipality is of the intention to sell a portion of the remainder of portion 7/288 LS of the farm Bergvliet. This portion comprises a total of 8.5234Ha.

Nowhere in the notice is it indicated, however, that the proposed sale will affect the current sports and recreation facilities of Louis Trichardt. It simply states the municipality's intention to sell the property and asks resident to submit their objections in writing to the municipal offices. The Zoutpansberger was notified by concerned residents who took the trouble to find out where the land on sale is situated.

When the newspaper contacted the various sport clubs’ governing bodies this week, it became clear that none of them had been approached or consulted by the municipality regarding the proposed sale. They were taken completely by surprise and had to scurry to submit their letters of objection to the municipal director of development planning. The cut-off date for objections was on Wednesday, 9 December. The manner in which the process was handled was also questioned by many. Some of the questions asked was why the notice had only been placed in the Limpopo Mirror and not the Zoutpansberger, as the majority of the different affected sporting clubs’ members are readers of the Zoutpansberger. Another question was why the municipality had not put out the property on public tender or auction?

According to municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi, the municipality’s executive committee decided to sell the property on 8 October this year and put forth a council resolution to that effect on 12 November. Bobodi further confirmed that the property will stretch from the east of the Makhado Crossing right up to Oranje Street - the street that divides the east side of the rugby field from the municipal show grounds.

From Bobodi’s feedback it became clear that the municipality had to put out a lot of fires as public outcry was sparked when residents came to realize what was at stake and that it was not just an empty stand on sale.

Asked why the municipality had only advertised their intentions in the Limpopo Mirror, and not the Zoutpansberger, Bobodi merely stated that the municipality was of the view that the Mirror was commonly read in the area, including the town areas.

With regard to the property's not being put out on tender or public auction, Bobodi argued that the municipality did not always have to sell properties by means of a tender process or auction, and that “Council has previously, on several occasions, alienated land by private contract.”

With the process in full swing, Bobodi stated, however, that it was of vital importance to note that the municipality would not simply abandon the various sports clubs and leave them to their own devices. He said that the council’s resolution made provision for the relocation of the sporting facilities to a suitable area yet to be determined by the municipality. “The expenditure for such purpose will be financed by the income from the land sales price,” said Bobodi in an e-mail to the newspaper on Wednesday.

As for why the different sporting clubs had not been consulted before their decision to sell the land, Bobodi speculated that the sport clubs were not notified due to “a communication break-down between the clubs and Cllr Brian du Plooy (Democratic Alliance), who first indicated that he consulted them and that they have no problem.”

Upon enquiry, however, Du Plooy denied this on Wednesday. He explained that before the council can sign off on the proposed sale, they first have to bring a plan to the table as to how are they going to deal with the various clubs’ lease contracts. He further added that the council will have to compile a budget in the case where clubs will be relocated to another property. “At this stage, the council is still receiving suggestions as to suitable relocation properties,” said Du Plooy.

The buyer and developer of the property, Bobodi confirmed, is the current buyer of the Makhado Crossing, who has plans to expand and develop it into a much bigger regional mall. The newspaper was able to confirm that the buyer is the property mogul Mike Masingita Nkuna, who has built malls in different parts of South Africa. He himself made an announcement during the recent launching ceremony of his new Malamulele Mall. He said that new malls would be built in the Greater Giyani Municipality, Makhado Municipality and the new municipality of Vhembe.

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

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