A stand-off seems to be taking place between the Laudium based Pretoria Hindu Seva Samaj and the Tshwane Council over pieces of land in Marabastad owned by the Samaj, being stands 13, 14, 15, 16, 33, 34 and 36.
This follows the Samaj leasing the pieces of land to the Council at no charge around March 2021. The period of lease was for only 6 months as the Samaj indicated at the time that they required the land in the near future to erect a shopping centre in order to generate rental income for the benefit of the Samaj. The Council at the time said that they required the land on a temporary basis to house the informal traders, as the then current place of the informal traders on Boom Street was going to be upgraded, thus they had to move in the interim. It is believed that despite concerned members from the Hindu community being against the Samaj leasing the vacant stands to the Council, the then President of the Samaj, Ramesh Chhagan went ahead with signing the lease with the Council, which became effective from March 22, 2021 & terminated on September 22, 2021 (6 months). The rental payable to the Samaj was ZERO. However the Samaj was still expected to pay all Municipal expenses including rates and taxes during the lease period. Shockingly, post the expiration of the lease in September 2021 and the election of a new executive committee for the Samaj in May 2023, the new executive has had no success since taking office, to get the city to vacate the Samaj land and return it vacant and in a clean condition as the Council received it. In fact representatives of the City, including politicians and officials have been ignoring various emails sent by the new executive of the Samaj to them. The stands remain filthy and occupied by squatters, despite the Council still technically occupying the land as no official notice or hand over was done by the Council stating that they were now returning the land.
President of the Samaj, Sanjay Govind told the Laudium Sun, “Despite this situation the Council has put us in, the Samaj has paid rates & taxes religiously for over 60 months whilst the city illegally occupied the land and provided no compensation to the Samaj. At a market related rental the Samaj has lost significant revenue in excess of R5m and this is an organization that serves the religious, cultural and welfare needs of the Tshwane Hindu population. The committee has inherited a woeful decision made by the previous executive committee, headed by Ramesh Chhagan. The duty to now clean up this historical mess as well as a financial loss that has had a crippling effect on the Samaj coffers, now rests with the current executive. Numerous e- mails and calls to the past and present Tshwane Mayors as well as the City Manager’s office has heeded no results. Legal Action against a bankrupt mal administered City will have no effect. The Samaj believes that the City not only vacates the land immediately, but owes the Samaj a substantial amount in compensation as the City’s actions have clearly been maleficent.”
