‘The City will not be bullied’ – Mashaba

The City of Johannesburg said that it would not cave to the pressure following Cedar Park’s application for the immediate reconnection of utility services to the Sandton Gautrain Station. With an unpaid utility bill amounting to R8 million, the Sandton Gautrain Station enters into its third week with no water.

During court proceedings between Cedar Park and the City on 20 September, Judge Makume placed the firm’s ‘mandatory interdict’ application on hold as it failed to provide a R1-million security cost in the event that it lost the court case.

“Yesterday, the City of Johannesburg brought an application seeking security for costs. This followed the City discovering that Cedar Park’s shareholder had filed papers to place Cedar Park under business rescue. This was in response to a creditor filing papers to liquidate Cedar Park,” City of Johannesburg executive mayor Herman Mashaba noted.

The judge has given Cedar Park 20 days to provide the necessary security cost, in failure to do so, the judge will grant the City permission to apply for a case dismissal.

Mashaba emphasised that the City will not be bullied into submission by corporates. “This type of activity may have been condoned under previous administrations in the City, but it will not be allowed under my watch,” he added.

Related articles:

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/236744/gautrain-takes-provincial-government-to-court-over-water-cuts/

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/236733/sc38chgautrainupdate1/