Seven years of neglect shutters historic Pretoria North hall

For more than seven years, the historic Club Rendezvous town hall in Pretoria North has been left to deteriorate due to a lack of revenue and an insufficient budget for renovation.

This once-thriving facility was a pillar of the community, offering sporting, community, and entertainment activities for all, however, due to safety concerns and lack of maintenance, ratepayers are worried about utilising the space.

Hence the facility was forced to close down on August 1 after more than 65 years of use.

The community claims that the lack of funding and maintenance has resulted in the building becoming an occupational health and safety risk, and this is forcing its closure.

The hall has been more than just a physical space – it has been a community hub, a place where people come together to celebrate, mourn, vote, and even get vaccinated as happened during the Covid-19 period, ratepayers tell Rekord.

“It has been a part of the history and the heart of Pretoria North.”

The community said the facility has been a valuable asset to the community but has since been in a sad state of disrepair.

Resident Annatjie Pieters said without the hall, the community is missing a vital resource that connected people and served their needs.

Pieters said for over 25 years, the facility had been a hub for wrestling events and other community-driven projects.

Pieters is a wrestling coach and said the facility assisted in creating a lasting legacy for the sport.

“Generations of wrestling fans have made the pilgrimage to this iconic venue, a testament to the impact of wrestling as a sport in the community.”

Pieters said since it opened its doors in 1955, Rendezvous has been home to some of wrestling’s greatest legends.

However, she is sad to see the hall close.

“We used the hall for years training there and keeping the kids away from the streets, but with it closing it means we are stranded.”

Pieters said she is grateful to Tshwane for allowing the wrestling club to use the facility but action needed to be taken to revive the place.

“I wish the city can do more and help in fixing the hall as we have been doing it for ourselves for years now, doing maintenance where we can,” she said.

The facility has been flagged with the following occupational health and safety risks:

– The fire safety equipment has expired and needs to be serviced.

– Doors are broken and not suitable for emergency exit and there is no emergency exit signage in the facility.

– The wooden floors are not fire-proof and have thinned and developed holes due to lack of maintenance.

– The roof has a major leak as well as, rotten wooden beams.

– Pigeons are nesting in the ceiling due to an open clock tower and there are no facia boards, therefore bird droppings fall into the facility.

Quinten Meyer, a concerned resident of Pretoria North, said he was dismayed at the state of the hall, a building that holds great historical and cultural significance to the community.

Meyer described the neglect of the site as “sad” and “worrying” noting that homeless people have begun living there and creating a hazardous and unsanitary environment.

Meyer has called for better care and attention to be given to the site, which he views as a piece of local history and a valuable resource for the community.

The Tshwane metro said the allocation of insufficient budget to cater for repair work of the hall has resulted in the facility’s deterioration to its current state.

Metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said priority has been given to service delivery.

“With the shrinking revenue collection, priority has skewed in favour of service delivery operations.”

Bokaba said when the city’s finances improve, the facility and many others across the city that have not received adequate budget will be prioritised.

“The magnitude of repair work that needs to be done to the hall is of a capital project nature.

“It is an important recreational facility for the community and is indeed included in the city’s repairs and maintenance plans of council-owned facilities.”

Community members who have been utilising the facility were proactively informed of the hazardous state of the hall.

“We advised community members to seek alternative facilities for their activities since there are no alternative municipal-owned facilities within the vicinity for referrals.”

He said maintenance and repairs of this magnitude are done by the group property department.

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