<\/p>\n
The City of Tshwane has slammed well-known Harlequin sports club in Groenkloof, Pretoria, with a notice to remove all its advertising boards within seven days and \u201call material related to\u201d its alleged unlawful use of its property within 28 days.<\/p>\n
The council accuses the club of using the land at 62 Totius Street in contravention of its unspecified zoning and demands that the land be restored to its original condition within the same 28 days.<\/p>\n
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Tshwane \u2018wilfully ignoring\u2019 its own property rates policy \u2013 Rates Watch
And then it was the seventh day \u2013 and still no power in Silvertondale
Tshwane CFO given 7 days to avoid precautionary suspension<\/p>\n
It seemingly requires the club \u2013 with its two rugby fields, two bowling greens, cricket field, squash court, various clubhouses, pavilions and restaurant \u2013 to demolish buildings and facilities worth millions and \u201crestore\u201d it to farmland.<\/p>\n
This is even though, according to club chair Chaka Croukamp, the club applied in 2021 to have the land rezoned and is still awaiting the council\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n
The notice served on the club by the council carries threats of fines, criminal prosecution and the levying of property rates on a punitive scale.<\/p>\n
Ben Espach, director of valuations at Rates Watch, says the property is currently valued at more than R32 million according to the council\u2019s own valuation roll. It is classified as a Public Benefit Organisation for property rates purposes, but this does not change the zoning.<\/p>\n
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According to Espach, the council could increase Harlequin\u2019s property rates bill from R8 109 per month at the current discounted rate to R243 387 per month at the legally approved punitive rate.<\/p>\n
Croukamp says the news the club\u2019s management expected from the council was that its rezoning application had finally been approved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand why it takes five years to tell us we must remove our restaurant, sports fields, pavilions and all sports buildings,\u201d he says. \u201cAll we want to do is keep our sports fields and provide sports facilities to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The well-known Harlequin rugby club was established as far back as 1902.\u00a0Initially, the club leased the land from the city council, but in the 1990s the Pretoria City Council \u2013 of which the Tshwane Metropolitan Council is the legal successor \u2013 offered it for sale to the club, and they accepted the offer.<\/p>\n
Today it houses several other sports clubs with a combined membership of between 500 and 700, as well as a rugby academy where children \u201cfrom eight to 18\u201d are coached, says Croukamp.<\/p>\n
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Schools in the area use the sports facilities, and any member of the public can use the restaurant or other facilities.<\/p>\n
AfriForum called in<\/p>\n
The Harlequin board decided at its meeting a week ago to tackle the issue together with AfriForum as a community project.<\/p>\n
Maree van den Berg, AfriForum\u2019s district coordinator for greater Pretoria South, says: \u201cThe Tshwane metro\u2019s failure to fulfil its administrative duties could now lead to a club, which has played an important role in the community since 1903, being closed. We are already consulting with our legal team about our next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says that in addition to the important role the Harlequins sports club plays in local sport and youth development, the economic impact of this sports club cannot be underestimated. It provides a steady income to about 10 individuals over the course of a year.<\/p>\n
Espach advises the club to search through its archives to determine whether it may previously have worked with a town planner and possibly has records showing that the council approved a consent use for the property.<\/p>\n
He adds that if the building plans for the structures on the property were approved by the council, it would give the club ammunition to show that the council was fully aware of the land use on the property.<\/p>\n
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The City of Tshwane did not respond to questions from Moneyweb about the matter.<\/p>\n
City formalising illegal developments<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the council is engaged in a comprehensive process to formalise 17 illegal developments in and around Pretoria.<\/p>\n
Although the council currently levies little, if any, property rates on the luxury homes in many of these developments, it has decided against imposing property rates on a punitive scale there, which it is entitled to do based on the unlawful land use.<\/p>\n
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#Tshwane #throws #book #historic #sports #club<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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