Tamil group denies it locked gates

THE South African Tamil Federation (SATF) has denied advising members of a Merebank temple to lock the premises last month.

Since 2010, members of the Shri Sivan Subramaniar Alayam in the suburb south of Durban, have been in a power struggle over the temple’s leadership. Last month, a new council was elected after a ruling by the Durban High Court. But its request for a handover of keys was unsuccessful.

The managing council’s chairperson, Lenny Marimuthu, alleged that a group of members from the newly-elected council approached the temple with six police officers and changed the locks on the gates.

Claude Drumalingum, from the newly-elected council, said: “We held elections last month and a new council was elected. Last month, we approached Marimuthu’s council about a handover but chaos ensued.

“The priest chased away a woman and swore at her. We were advised by SATF to change the locks and did so accompanied by police officers, to prevent any further violent outbreak.”

But Richard Govende, president of the Tamil Federation in Kwazulu-natal, said the SATF did not give such direction.

“The SATF did not request that the temple be closed. It must be pointed out that when the newly-elected office bearers went to the temple to do the handover of the keys, they were allegedly abused verbally and physically. The priest allegedly swore and attempted to assault the secretary, a female,” said Govender.

He has called on members of the temple’s managing committee to accept the court ruling. “In the name of the Divine (they must) do a ‘handover’ to the elected committee in light of the temple observing its Thai Poosam Kavady early in the new year.”