Umdloti Forum convenor Brian Gibson writes: The response of Melanie Clarkson, marketing executive of Tongaat Hulett Developments to Bruni Amman’s heartfelt letter protesting the company’s plan to build a university on Node 6 of the Sibaya Precinct is gag-inducing (Why build a university on the coastal belt? June 29).
Ms Clarkson’s spiel about THD’s intention to do the right thing stands in stark contrast to the company’s behaviour on Node 1 of the Sibaya Precinct where our forum has exposed numerous breaches of the original environmental authorisation.
Two buildings on Node 1 have blatantly exceeded the approved heights and the layout is nothing like the conceptual framework plan. THD’s blithe response is that “things change”.
We agree that more tertiary institutions must be built in the province and that economic growth, jobs and transformation are all desirable.
But to superimpose 10 000 private university students on a small village of about 2 000 residents is nothing less than callous commercialism presented as a public good.
Only after the forum intervened did THD introduce alternatives to their preferred location on Node 6.
The assessment process continues but where there is no trust, only suspicion remains.
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