Mural strategically painted to attract attention
Members of the public who pass Huddle Park will now find a mural stating "Huddle Park still under threat… help stop the housing development".
In a statement issued by the Friends of Huddle Park members, Mr Daryl Fuchs and Mr Benji Shulman, it was stated that a benefactor paid for the mural to go up.
Mr Fuchs said the mural was painted after outrage by the Friends of Huddle Park, at the alleged banning by the current tenants of the park of his continued engagement with the public regarding the contested portion of land.
Huddle Investments (Pty) Limited purchased a portion of the 180 hectares of Huddle Park from the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) in 2011. Several members of the public objected to development taking place on the land.
The consortium proposed a development, which includes houses, high-density developments and a shopping centre.
Friends of Huddle Park approached the public protector’s office to investigate the sale of the land because members of the public believe the sale involved corruption.
The investigation into the sale of Huddle Park by the Public Protector’s office continues.
The EXPRESS forwarded an enquiry about the mural to Huddle Investments (Pty) Limited.
In a statement issued by the consortium, stakeholders said, “Huddle Investments (Pty) Limited whose shareholders are Investec Property, Standard Bank Properties and Global Capital purchased a portion of the site which equates to 21 percent, 53 hectares, of the land at Huddle Park for R45-million in response to a public tender process announced and administered by the CoJ.
“A Township application, as well as a separate Environmental Impact Assessment application, has been advertised inviting public comment. These applications are now following the formal legal process.”
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