Residents vs lodge: no more nice neighbours
"We were told to sell our property and leave because the owner does not care about our concerns."
A quaint lodge nestled in the valley of the supposedly quiet Rant-en-Dal neighbourhood has, according to the residents living in the area, turned into a low-class dive, causing all sorts of mayhem.
On New Year’s Day this lodge hosted a party which was advertised on their social media platforms whereby patrons could purchase, beforehand, tickets for the event. This was until the party planner decided to open the venue for walk-in patrons as well.
Initially, the lodge anticipated that about 500 people would attend the party. Instead, party-goers showed up in their thousands and caused major disruptions in Koedoe, Papegaai and Kameelperd Streets.
Residents were forced to retreat into their homes for protection against the rowdy and often violent crowd. When things got completely out of hand, the police were called. A person was allegedly also stabbed, but due to the streets being congested with vehicles and taxis, no ambulance was able to reach the injured. Children were left traumatised after police, armed with R5 rifles, marched down the streets to bring the chaos under control.
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After this horrid experience, the residents demanded action. A first meeting was held shortly after the event and a second meeting, this time with a representative from the lodge present, was held last night, 7 February.
Ward councillor, Jacques Hoon, facilitated the meeting and Alan Fuchs, DA Mogale City Constituency Head, was also there to give further input.
The message from the residents was clear – they want the lodge to immediately stop with these events; no excuses and no exceptions.
“I have been living here for almost five years. Every year these events get worse and worse. My safety has been violated,” a visibly concerned resident said.
Hoon stated that the lodge needs to supply a proper events management plan to the West Rand District Municipality for approval every time it is planning an event. He also said that all avenues to resolve the issue should be exhausted before things have to take a more serious turn, such as forcing the lodge to close its doors. However, according to another resident, who clearly did his homework, the lodge is only licensed as a lodging and restaurant facility with 11 rooms and does not hold the right licence to host events on a large scale, because it is situated in a residential area.
Antoinette Meyer, manager of the lodge, promised residents that this will never happen again after she apologised for the umpteenth time.
“We did not anticipate that so many people would show up that day. From now on events will take place in the correct manner and I want everyone to understand that I will do everything to make things better,” she said.
Unfortunately, Meyer’s promise was not received well.
The lodge is hosting a Valentine’s event on 16 February and vowed that it will be a tasteful and civilised affair. However, the residents also vowed that if things get out of hand, they would take criminal and legal action and ultimately make life for the lodge, its patrons and the owner very difficult.
“We were told to sell our property and leave because the owner does not care about our concerns. Our rights as tax-paying residents are being violated and we are told to comply, yet this business is clearly breaking the law for financial gain. It’s criminal and we will not back down,” another resident said.
The News will continue to follow-up on this developing story.
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