Guard demands accommodation
“If I can confirm that the letter is from the correct authority and I am given accommodation I will leave tomorrow,” said Mr Mokgolobetji.
A man has demanded a house from the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) for ‘guarding its property’ for more than 10 years.
Mr Jan Mokgolobetja said he worked at the Observatory Bowling Club from 1991.
He said he was a greens keeper and the property manager at the premises.
“In 2005, the business went under. The owners went to Australia and they told me to guard the place. I have been staying here since then. I have been protecting the place, fighting the people who wanted to build shacks here. I have put my life at risk for this place. While I did that, nobody even paid me a cent,” he said.
Mr Mokgolobetja said council officials used to come to the property and find him there. He said he was never told to leave.
“During my stay here, many people came with fake papers saying they are the new owners of this place. When I told the council officials about them, they would come and chase them away.
“Now a new tenant comes here and says I should leave. But he does not want to show me the papers to confirm that,” said Mr Mokgolobetja.
“If I can confirm that the letter is from the correct authority and I am given accommodation, I will leave tomorrow,” he said.
New tenant
Mr Eddie Verlaque, the new tenant, said he obtained the lease from the city to build a sports centre on the property.
He said he has been asking Mr Mokgolobetja since November last year to leave so that he could renovate the place.
“When I speak to him about it, he says he will leave at the end of the month but he never does. He always tells me he is looking for a place to stay. I told him I need to start working here and I cannot renovate with children running around here. He has to leave,” said Mr Verlaque.
Ward councillor, Clr Mike Spadino, said the documents to evict Mr Mokgolobetja are being processed.
“This is delaying the renovation processes but I am pleased the club is being fixed. It has been an eyesore for far too long,” said Clr Spadino.
An inquiry was sent to the Johannesburg Property Company’s managing director, Ms Helen Botes, on Friday, May 15.
Comment was requested by Monday, May 18, at 9am.
Several follow ups were made to her office and to the CoJ spokesperson, Mr Nthatisi Modingoane.
At the time of going to print, no comment was received.
