Pilgrim’s Rest court saga continues
Controversy surrounding this historic town continues, a year after the near eviction of 17 business owners by the town’s curator, the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (DPWRT).
PILGRIM’S REST – The DPWRT served the eviction notices on July 4 last year stating at the time that the concerned business owners had not responded to the advertised tender notice. Tenants responded by turning to the court, assisted by AfriSake, the business section of civil rights group AfriForum.
This week, the DPWRT categorically denied allegations made by the DA that it has not followed the directives of the North Gauteng High Court to hand over all documentation pertaining to the tender process. The North Gauteng High Court had ordered that the tender documents be handed over for review due to possible “irregularities.”
According to the department, the applicant’s attorneys received all the relevant papers on December 5, 2012. AfriSake spokesperson, Mr Cornelius Janse van Rensburg confirmed that the attorney, Mr Pieter Steenkamp is currently drawing up the final applications in this case regarding the tenants’ rights to lease the premises. If opposed by the DPWRT, they expect the case to be heard in the High Court in November this year. However, attorney Mr Pieter Steenkamp said that the documentation is incomplete and only two applications could be successfully made. “We have informed the state’s attorneys on numerous occasions that documents are outstanding,” Steenkamp said.
Through a second application brought against the DPWRT, AfriSake says it hopes to “force the department to look after the historical and cultural heritage of the town.” But the DPWRT feels that the R15m it has spent on renovation from October 2012 to March this year is proof that it is busy with a plan of maintenance and normalization for the site.
Mr David Nkambule, spokesperson for the DPWRT, explained that a programme comprising four phases was carried out, utilising the services of six contractors. A total of 49 projects formed part of this effort, including renovation of the Royal Hotel, work on the town’s sewage system, 37 new hawker stalls and the revamping of the caravan park.
Despite these efforts, tenants question these efforts by the department, with the local business chamber responding that renovation work was either done in a sloppy way, or not at all, and that “leaking roofs, rotten floorboards, rotten window frames and damaged ceilings” remained.
Mr Anthony Benadie, provincial leader of the DA said that according to their records, a total of seven businesses had closed down over the past year. This is, according to Mr Danny Jacobs of the local business chamber, not due to the tender process, but can be attributed to a lack of tourists.
The department has a mandate to provide, manage and maintain Pilgrims Rest which was declared a Heritage Site. It is also responsible for the management of the town, billing on water; electricity, refuse removal, management of businesses and lease agreements. A budget of more than four (4) million rand has been set aside for day to day maintenance of the town during this financial year.
