Northcliff cricket ground being used ‘illegally’, claims ward councillor
NORTHCLIFF – Women's soccer club looking for answers over their proposed home ground.
Soccer club frustrated as they will not be able to continue playing football at their potential home ground.
Theo Buttress, founder of Bantwana College Football Club NPC, has had his hands full as he has been trying to get the relevant permission to continue using Northcliff cricket grounds as their home ground.
Buttress said all he is looking for, along with other potential tenants for the grounds, is an answer from the City of Johannesburg regarding the outcome of their application to use the grounds. “Bantwana College applied to the Johannesburg Property Company in September 2018 for usage of the grounds and we haven’t heard anything progressive.”
Buttress said since their application in 2018, they have sent various letters to various officials at the City of Johannesburg including attending several meetings about the issue. He said that there are talks of the land going to a tender process in order to create a new lease agreement. He added, “My letters were responded to in January this year and I was told of the process to follow. I did all of that and still nothing. We just want answers.”
Ward 88 councillor David Hensman confirmed that the land does indeed belong to the City. He added that there was a lease agreement between the Department of Sports and Recreation and the Gauteng Cricket Board but that has since expired. He has stated that the land has been subjected to complications due to it being illegally used. Hensman said, “The Department of Sports and Recreation is requesting the Johannesburg Property Company to put the property out to tender for new leases. The process has been agonisingly slow due to complications with illegal tenants occupying the premises.”
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