Gugulethu residents and sport councils have vowed to fight the City’s plans to remove the Gugulethu Sport and Development Trust from the premises it operates on, claiming it failed to respond to a request for a lease extension.
According to some disgruntled residents, the City has sold the land and no public consultation process was conducted.
United Aces chairperson, Vasi Nyakaza, said the trust was established in 2004, formed by United Aces Football Club and other stakeholders with the aim of developing sport in the community.
“The City was approached in 2006 to enter into a lease agreement for the vacant land. The lease agreement came to an end in 2017, according to the City. However, it was mentioned in the agreement that a lessee may apply for renewal prior to when the lease ends.
“A request for renewal was submitted, however, no response was received.”
Nyakaza said about R1 million was spent to upgrade the facility in an effort to benefit the community.
“A meeting was held in May 2019 following up on the application for an extension, and City officials advised that the application be resubmitted.
This was done and leaders waited for a response.
“On May 9 this year, the City issued a communication advising of the decision to cancel or end the lease agreement, and the trust must vacate the land by August 11, because the land had been bought by Public Works with the purpose of building a hospital,” said Nyakaza.
Gugulethu Sports Council chairperson Nceba Sandlana said a complaint was sent to the City that there was no proper consultation with the organisations and the community leading to the sale of the land.
“We are all shocked by this eviction and trying to find solutions. We have been conducting a number of meetings in the community ... It seems they want our children to fall into crime due to a lack of recreation facilities. Early this year we had to march and make a noise about dilapidated recreation facilities, including swimming pools that have been empty for more than five years,” said Sandlana.
In the minutes from a community meeting last week, some residents proposed legal action, that an urgent application be sought, and a petition be created.
The City said it gave a three-month notice of cancellation of the lease, requesting that they vacate the premises next month.
“This is not an eviction notice but a termination of a lease agreement. The City’s Recreation and Parks Department intends to further engage the Sports and Development Trust regarding the various sporting codes’ needs impacted by the lease termination.”
“The City and Gugulethu Sport and Development Trust entered into a 10-year lease for sporting purposes. In terms of the lease agreement, the development proposal submitted as part of the lease application should have taken place within 24 months.
“This development never materialised. The lease expired on December 31, 2015, and the lease was tacitly extended thereafter on a month-to-month basis,” it said.
The City said the Transport and Public Works Department submitted an application to purchase the property to construct the new Barcelona Community Health Care Facility.
“In December 2019, the trust was informed about the application and proposed disposal. The proposed sale was circulated to all internal service departments and was supported,” the City said.
Cape Times