MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – What hidden agendas are the driving force behind the local municipality’s insistence on demolishing major assets on the central sports grounds in town to make way for business development on a site which the established business fraternity does not approve of?

This question is forced to the fore by the announcement that Council is once again going to spend tens of thousands of rands of taxpayers’ money to force through a destructive and highly contentious development plan which has already been rejected by the community.

The Makhado Municipality announced last week, in a relatively small newspaper advertisement, its intention to once again proceed with efforts to rezone a major part of the central sporting grounds for business purposes.

Council’s previous effort was opposed by the local community, who successfully appealed against Council’s effort to push it through in spite of overwhelming objections. The appeal alone resulted in Council’s having to pay R20 000 of taxpayers money for its folly.

Serious questions are now being asked about the real reasons for Council’s insistence on proceeding, even after the mayor solemnly declared, in a peaceful gesture towards the end of last year, that the rezoning will be “put on ice”.

The rezoning to make way for a business centre to the eastern side of the N1, comprising 15 000 square meter floor space on a more than four hectare (4,3154) stand, will involve the demolition of the only existing squash courts and the existing sports hall, described by a previous mayor as “the best and most impressive hall facility in the entire municipal area.”

Shortly after the new mayor assumed duties, he referred to the planned rezoning of the sports grounds as “a political decision.” He did not elaborate. During a special meeting with the business fraternity last year, the mayor decided not to allow an answer to the question whether the intended new business centre will be erected in phases. No reason was given for refusing an answer to a pertinent question.

According to the relevant documentation, the successful tenderer for the proposed development of a shopping centre on a rezoned area described by the Levubu Road on the northern side, the N1 on the western side and Limpopo Street (northern border of the Eltivillas business complex) is Landmark Real Estate Services (Pty) Ltd.

Access to the proposed development would be from Limpopo Road and from the Levubu Road.

According to the documentation, the developer offered to reerect the sports hall and squash facilities to the southeastern side of the existing facilities.

The documentation mention “letters of intent” by various national chain stores and a bank as potential occupants of the proposed new business centre. Amongst them are CTM, Pick ‘n Pay, SPAR, Ackermans, Clicks, Truworths, Mr Price, Sheet Street, First National Bank, Dions, Pep Stores, Wimpy, Identity and Musica. Only CTM indicated that it will relocate its existing business to the new centre.