Move to have Currie Road development demolished

THE controversial 317 Currie Road development is back under the spotlight after it was revealed that the developer of the infamous development, Serengeti Rise Industries, had been placed in liquidation following a business rescue process which started earlier this year.

Work on the development came to a stand-still many years ago when civic organisation, Save Our Berea and Tayob ‘Pops’ Aboobaker, attorney and resident of a property neighbouring the development, went to court to contest the rezoning of the site.

In June 2015 a judgement to demolish the building was passed in the Durban High Court, but was swiftly followed by an appeal by the developers which was granted.

The development made headlines again after a judgement delivered in the High Court on 28 September last year launched an urgent application against the developers compelling the company to return scaffolding and hired equipment to Nela Kahle cc.

Matters regarding the development have come before the courts over the past three years during which time building on the site was halted, but the scaffolding around the building remained in place.

Through the judgment in September, Serengeti Rise was lumbered with an order to pay R20 920 532 Nela Kahle cc for the rental of the scaffolding for the period August 2015 to June 2017, together with interest, effectively taking the judgment to around R26 million.

In March, the Board of Directors of Serengeti declared the company was financially distressed and unlikely to be able to pay all of its debts, and voluntarily placed itself under business rescue. It has now been placed in liquidation, and the property will be sold at public auction in order to recover the estimated R93 million owed to its creditors.

ALSO READ: The ongoing saga of 317 Currie Road

In response, Aboobaker said he felt the liquidation of Serengeti was inevitable.

“It stands as a stark reminder of what can happen to those who exploit our city for material gain. Illegal developments are mushrooming everywhere. It is time for the residents of eThekwini and in particular the Berea to take a stand. There have been extensive investigations into this development and there is reason to believe that money laundering and corruption associated with this development will be established on a balance of probabilities,” he said.

Aboobaker said no developer in his right mind would have anything to do with the development, and that there was no value to the development except the value of the bare land.

“Creditors should seek relief from the directors of Serengeti personally who have thus far got away with blue murder. Now clearly the chickens have come home to roost. I have reason to believe that criminal charges will be preferred against those associated with Serengeti and officials of the Municipality,” said Aboobaker.

Kevin Dunkley and Cheryl Johnson from Save Our Berea said they would support Aboobaker in taking the case to the courts once again, to have the building demolished.

ALSO READ: Leaked report reveals irregularities at 317 Currie Road development

They said further to their campaign to prevent this illegal and inappropriate building from going ahead, they believed that municipalities should not approve building plans which may devalue surrounding properties.

They said this was Save Our Berea’s argument all along with regard to the bizarre decision taken by the municipality to rezone 317 Currie Road to a GR5.

Dunkley and Johnson said they were confident, along with Aboobaker, that they have a strong case, since the 36-page report, completed in December 2015 by the City Integrity and Investigative Unit (CIIU) on alleged irregularities surrounding the development at 317 Currie Road, was not divulged at Serengeti’s appeal case.

“The judge at the Supreme Court of Appeals in Bloemfontein didn’t know all the facts as the lawyers failed to submit this investigation. We feel this is really low, considering how this has affected the community,” said Dunkley.

Johnson concluded saying: “We want this building to come down and we want the City to investigate and deal with what has happened. We hope creditors will also come on board with this campaign to be rid of this development once and for all.”

Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.

To receive our free newsletter click here.