Attempt by ANC-run council to illegally confiscate commercially-owned Nelspruit Showgrounds thwarted two days before public auction
---
Nelspruit (renamed by the ruling ANC to "Mbombela") - The long-awaited public auction of the Lowveld Showgrounds, which was announced in September 2013, was accompanied by high drama.
The highest bid at the Mercure Hotel of R28million was granted to its bidder Saleh Mohamed after only 10 minutes of bidding. He was acting on behalf of the Devland group with runs the Metro Cash and Carry shops.
However the bid was granted with the proviso that there will be seven days grace if anyone puts in a late, higher bid.
But before the auction could take place, the local ANC-run city council tried to stop it by submitting a notice at the Lowveld Showgrounds claiming ownership of the property within two days.
They were simply going to confiscate the private property.
The Showground's director Louis Kotzé said they also received a later official notice from the Nelspruit city council in which they 'distantiate themselves from the intended land-confiscation order'.
Kotze said the showgrounds consist of two portions which used to be the original Boer Republican farm Nelspruit – parts 39 and 85.
Part 39 is about 8hectares in size and was gifted to the previous municipality in 1952.
The proviso included in this land-gift prohibiting the commercial sale of this portion was however already rescinded in 1983.
Then the Showgrounds Association purchased a second portion - parcel 85, which serves as the only entrance route into portion 39.
"We wanted to trade on these two parcels,' said Kotzé. The Showgrounds Association made enquiries about this and received the reply that the Nelspruit city council
demanded that townships would have to be built on portions 84 and 39 as a provision.'
The association decided to continue its agricultural trade activities on a land parcel elsewhere which would have fewer restrictions, said Kotze', referring
to the limiting zoning proviso of the Showgrounds and the title-deeds limitations they contained.
Both portions 39 and 85 were zoned inaccurately. Portion 39 was rezoned by the municipality from agricultural land to "Special: showgrounds'.
This also placed the Lowveld Showgrounds Association in the highest taxation level, namely commercial taxes.
The showgrounds were privately evaluated at R35million. The municipality had offered R28million for the confiscation of the two parcels which was the municipal valuation.
Opposition was received by the South African Communist Party which demanded that the auction be cancelled.
They demanded that the land be used 'according to the consitutional purposes, namely 'land-reform'.
They objected to the 'colonial methods in which this process is being handled.'
'Land belongs to the landless and the poor,' they said in their propaganda statement.
Then the decision was made to hold a public auction to turn over the land to the highest bidder and this intention was published in November
2013 and delivered to the municipality. The municipality meanwhile is helping the Showgrounds Association to find a more suitable land-parcel
to carry on their commercial-agricultural activities and wanted to appoint a task-team.
However the Showgrounds Association courteously declined this offer.
Its legal counsel Johan du Preez pointed out the 'several errors contained in the confiscation notice -and then the municipality withdraw its task-team offcer in a letter which also contained
the threat that the Showgrounds land could be confiscated in the future.
http://lowvelder.co.za/255851/munisipaliteit-probeer-verkoop-van-laeveld-skouterrein-keer/
↧