Tenants go the distance

Durban’s Stables leaseholders continue to fight city closure call

THE Stables battle continues. Affected parties say that despite the city manager, S’bu Sithole, defending its call to evict the tenants, they are not budging.

The head coach at the New Market Stables Equestrian Club, Nadine Parker, claims that the city and Hoy Park Management are “hoodwinking the public into believing they were assisting us, but they have not”.

She said: “We are not moving on September 1. If the city wants us out, they need to go to court and get an eviction order. We will oppose it – and win. We are shocked to be called a minority. We have 25 000 signatures, which means that many people are against it.”

Sithole, at a media briefing earlier this week, said that nothing was to stop the build- ing of the football academy. He said while there were stakeholders that wanted to stay, it was not possible. “If we allow them to stay longer, it would affect the costs and the progress of the project. The city is not insensitive, but within the context of the agreement and the law, we are entitled to exercise our rights.

“We will not stop the building of the facility simply because some people are aggrieved.

“This will be a world-class facility beneficial to many sportsmen in our city,” he said.

But while the city seems to be adamant on the R300 million facility being built within the next three years, the affected parties are having none of it.

Manager of the New Stable Lifestyle Market, Yaser Nasef, said the legal route was the only option left. He said that his legal team has launched an investigation into the evictions and “will reveal the truth shortly”.

He added: “We started this fight and by no means are we stopping anytime soon. This is our livelihood and business and they are just taking it away from us.

“There must be a solution to all of this.”

On Thursday, the Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry for the DA, Dean Macpherson, tabled a motion in Parliament stating that the evictions of the tenants had not followed the correct procedures.

He said the party was awaiting a response from Parliament. “The city needs to be accountable if the correct procedures were not followed. We are not against the academy, but are unhappy with the way everything was handled.

“It is clear that Durban residents do not think the academy is in the best interests of the province. We feel the city manager’s approach was heavy-handed and disproportionate,” he said.

DA councillor Mike Martin said they would continue to liaise with the city in order to find solutions to the issues.

Hoy Park management director, Carlos Catalino, said that it had “properly consulted with the affected parties, but they backed out on agreements at the last minute”.

He said: “We want what is in the best interests of all stakeholders and have deliberated with all concerned parties.

“We have nothing to hide and can make the necessary correspondence available to the media.”