Blythedale land claim resolved

Years of land claim disputes over the deeds to the Blythedale Coastal Resort have finally been resolved.

The land on which the resort was to be built has officially been given back to the Zwelabantu Dube Community Property Association (ZDCPA).

This came after Land Claims Court acting Judge AJ Sardiwalla signed a settlement agreement last Tuesday, which will see Commission of Restitution of Land Rights under the Minister of Land Affairs pay R332m to BCR for its 80% shareholding in the property.

The money will be used to pay back creditors and investors of the resort, after the project went into business rescue last October.

KZN developer and eLan Group CEO Mark Taylor owned a majority share in the resort.

Taylor spoke to the Courier last week and is still optimistic that the resort will be built as planned now that the land claim has finally been settled.

“I am pretty sure it will go ahead, it is not a foregone conclusion though.” he said.

According to Taylor, the resort still has R200m in pre-sale agreements and he is excited at the prospect of finally beginning construction. Most of the deposits are being held in trusts.

He hopes the ZDCPA will reach a decision on a way forward soon.

“They are still going through the process but it should be quite quick. We could be on the site within 30 days,” said Taylor.

Despite a number of years of disputes over the land, Taylor is confident that the relationship between the two parties is good.

“There is massive trust even though we have been at loggerheads. We still believe we are the right partners,” he said.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, the developer doubts that the ZDCPA will consider new plans for the land.

“That would delay proceeding by two years or more.”

Looking at the settlement, Taylor believes initial investors will be happy.

“After going through a business rescue process, a credit commission was formed to discuss solutions. After the settlement, it is now a question of fairness but all the investors will get their initial capital back.”

Looking ahead, Taylor is hoping to be part of another success story like that of eLan’s Simbithi Eco-estate in Ballito.

According to Taylor, the Blythedale Coastal Resort has the potential to create 10 000 jobs which could support at least 50 000 people.

During its 10-year construction phase, 100 000 temporary jobs will be created. Workers will be sourced from nearby communities and will receive Seta-accredited training.