Golf course facts wrong

THE ARTICLE “Poo protester Lili targets Mowbray Golf Course for housing for poor” (Weekend Argus, November 16) stated incorrectly that the Mowbray Golf Club’s lease expires at the end of this year. In fact it expires at the end of December 2020.

Mr Lili said the golf course is more than 5 000 hectares, and, while we would agree that many houses could be built on that, our golf course covers roughly only 50 hectares.

It is unfortunate that articles such as this, that do more harm than good, are printed with incorrect facts.

Mowbray Golf Club, which is over 100 years old, has one of the better golf development programmes in the Western Cape which provides opportunities to all to get exposed to golf.

Our development programme has been extremely successful. We have club champions and a South Africa junior champion from a previously disadvantaged community.

We have over 850 members and our club is open to all.

Over 18 000 rounds a year are played by visitors, local and international. We support a number of schools. Whereas Mowbray Golf Club is sensitive to the needs of the greater community of the Western Cape, it is our belief that there are large areas of unused land that can be earmarked for development before local authorities need to focus on land that adds value to our lovely city and brings much needed revenue to the benefit of us all.