Ongoing dispute over old Spur building

THE question of exactly who is responsible for the old “Spur” building at the end of the small boat harbour pier was an item on the Ndlambe open council meeting agenda on Wednesday May 31 and, more importantly, who was responsible for its repair and maintenance.

There is a dispute over who is responsible for the old Spur building in the Port Alfred small boat harbour Picture: MEGAN PRETORIUS

Although the item was not discussed at the council meeting, it has become a perennial problem since the initial lease was awarded to Port Alfred Marina and Small Craft Harbour closed corporation (Pamcor) by Ndlambe Municipality in 1988. With the municipality’s permission, Pamcor subleased the property to Halyards Properties (Pty) Limited in 1993.

However, according to the municipal records, the lease was signed by both the municipality (then, the Port Alfred Municipality which was absorbed, along with all right and obligations, by Ndlambe Municipality) and Pamcor, but not by Halyards Properties’ owner, Stuart Boucher. Regardless, all parties have worked as though the lease had been signed by all parties.

According to the municipality, certain terms and conditions of the lease have not been fulfilled, such as providing fuel facilities for boaters (Engen stopped providing fuel to the existing tank several years ago), and that all maintenance and upkeep of the “land” be for the account of the lessee. The “land” on which the original, now non-functional fuel tank is situated is erf 5203, a property that, as stated in the agenda, is owned by the Royal Alfred Marina [Club] Hotel (Ramch), another company owned by Boucher, and does not therefore form part of the lease agreement with either Pamcor or Ndlambe Municipality.

See whole story in this week’s Talk of the Town