MBOMBELA – Despite the great excitement of prospective students, not everyone is happy with the construction of the University of Mpumalanga. Most recently it was the golf club located at the Lowveld Agricultural College, which was informed that it had to vacate the premises by August 31.
Members of the club are upset that they were told to move – after they claim various promises were made to them that the course would be accommodated when construction of the new university started.
The ground belongs to the provincial government. Initial development plans on display at the entrance to the college show that construction of new buildings will mostly be on other side of the campus toward the R40 on the top-of-the-hill campus, hardly affecting the golf course. One of the members pointed out that only one of the nine holes and the clubhouse would be affected by the construction.
Members claimed they were initially assured that the clubhouse would not have to move and so they spent about R20 000 of funds they claim came from members and donations on upgrades to it in January.
The original clubhouse was also built by the club and the course was maintained by the members. One of them said since it was self-sustainable, it would not be to the university’s detriment to keep it on. “Where must we go to play now?” they asked.
The membership costs are low in comparison with those of other clubs, at only R750 a year and green fees payable only for competitions.
Members said they didn’t understand why they couldn’t just move the affected hole and clubhouse with funds from the department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) reimbursing them for the assets.
The academic head of the interim management council of the university Prof Ramaranka Mogotlane informed the golf club committee in a letter dated August 6 that his principals had requested him to inform the club that it was necessary that it vacate the area by the end of the month, “due to changes in infrastructure planning and the necessity to commence construction earlier than had initially been envisaged”.
He confirmed to Lowvelder that it was the decision of the DHET to postpone the construction on the top-of-the-hill campus until 2018 due to funding to be chanelled elsewhere.
Mogotlane said construction around the new golf course would hence commence earlier than originally planned and would affect the entire course.
