WastePreneurs have won their first interdict against the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), allowing them to remain at Pirates Club in Greenside.
The Gazette reported in Pirates lease agreement with Joburg Property Company might be cancelled [Week ending 6 September] that WastePreneurs were to be evicted from the place they were operating from Victory Road in Greenside on the premises leased by Pirates Club.
Chair of Adopt-A-Project, which looks after WastePreneurs, Steve Jourdan said, “This victory means that we can run WastePreneurs and take it to the next level, without fear. We are in communication with Pikitup and the Department of Environmental Affairs to extend our programme to incorporate more waste pickers in the City.”
Jourdan said that Pirates were forced by JPC to evict the WastePreneurs because of the threats by the City that they would not be able to continue their lease.
“They [Pirates Sports Club] had no option but to evict us. They gave us 60 days’ notice, saying that they still believe that the council is acting illegally,” said Jourdan.
“WastePreneurs got an attorney to assist them pro bono and got an interdict against the City saying that they had not followed the correct legal process and on a humanitarian level, they would be threatening the livelihoods of 110 people.”
Jourdan said that the council had not followed the correct legal process and do not have the right to cancel Pirates’ lease, therefore allowing them to stay on the land.
“Winning the first interdict means that they won’t be able to bully an NGO like us into submission. It also shows the waste pickers that what they are doing is not illegal, it is just a dispute with the council.”
Chair of the Pirates Sports Club Lloyde Hanson said the interdict ruling from the Johannesburg High Court has been great news for the club.
“Although pressurised by our landlords, JPC, and the City of Joburg into serving a 60-day eviction notice to WastePreneurs, the club remains of the view that the WastePreneurs project is of great benefit to individual waste pickers, waste management and the community,” said Hanson.
“Our legal advice remains that the use of the Club ground is supported in terms of our ‘community support’ lease clause and does not constitute an illegal ‘sub-lease’ and further that the landlord remains in breach of our lease without complying with the ‘dispute’ clause of the lease.”
The Gazette has contacted JPC for their comment on the matter and will update the story as soon as information is received.
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JPC and City of Joburg respond to issue regarding Pirates lease agreement
