Case about city’s name postponed
A double booking at the High Court results in the name change case being removed from the roll for next week.
NELSPRUIT – Residents will have to wait a little longer to learn the fate of the city’s name. The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism’s (KLCBT) case against the minister of arts and culture has been postponed due to a double booking in court.
The case was supposed to be heard in the Pretoria High Court from Monday, but another case was booked in front of the same judge and enjoys preference because of having been booked first.
“The case will not be heard at the end of August as two cases have been placed in front of the same judge for the same day,” explained Mr Johan du Preez, the KLCBT’s attorney. “The other case was instituted before ours and will thus continue while ours has been removed from the roll.”
According to Ms Linda Grimbeek of the chamber, Du Preez will try to obtain another court date for as soon as possible. The KLBCT has been working hard to fight the proposed change.
The main arguments against the change, which was gazetted in 2009, is that the public participation and voting process was flawed and that the change would cost taxpayers an estimated R350 million. However, Mbombela Council voted in favour of Mbombela City instead of Mbombela, making both Nelspruit and Mbombela the city’s legal names for the present.
The chamber had estimated that it needed R400 000 to pay its legal fees to take the matter to the High Court. To make a contribution, visit the chamber’s offices at Crossing Centre or make deposits directly into the following bank accounts: Standard Bank, Nelspruit branch, LCBT, account number 330 670 689; First National Bank, branch code 270 352, Lowveld
Info, account number 531 300 392 25; or Absa Bank, Nelspruit branch, Lowveld Business, account number 405 473 5407.
