The massive expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre hangs in the balance.
|||Cape Town - The massive expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre hangs in the balance.
Controversy has dogged the deal, especially after the ANC called on the public protector to investigate the city’s purchase of a pocket of land from Naspers. The land is next to the CTICC and is critical to the expansion.
The ANC has claimed that the DA-led administration paid more than double the market price for the land, which the city was planning to buy for more than R100 million.
The city and the CTICC have spent millions of rands on plans around the expansion.
Mayor Patricia de Lille gave the ANC a guarantee on Wednesday that the purhase would not go ahead until the outcome of the public protector’s report had been discussed.
During yesterday’s council meeting one of the conditions in the contract between the city and Naspers was discussed, namely that, as part of the sale, the CTICC would lease about 500 parking bays to Naspers.
Wednesday’s item was to approve an agreement that, if the CTICC stoppped operating for whatever reason, Naspers would still be able to lease this land from the city.
However, opposition parties believed approval would be premature and urged the city to wait for the report first.
Demi Dudley, African Christian Democratic Party councillor, said it would be “disingenous” to go ahead because of the unresolved investigations. She said the auditor-general was also investigating alleged irregularities around the expansion.
“This council cannot afford more litigation and possible embarrassment by a hasty decision being called for today,” said Dudley.
However, Ian Neilson, deputy mayor, said the city had until 5pm on Wednesday to pass the item.
He said the city was not “pre-empting” the report and it and the CTICC had spent “millions of rands” around the expansion. Delaying the approval of this one condition would “jeopardise” the purchase.
However, Neilson said the city would hold off on implementing the plan until the release of the report.
Tony Ehrenreich, the ANC leader in council, said there were other concerns. De Lille assured him that once the city had received the report, there would be discussion around all the concerns.
“The public protector is investigating all the suspensive conditions raised,” she said.
Any issues “over and above” those investigated by the public protector would be discussed when the report was released. “It will give us a basis to start assessing the purchase.”
By approving this parking item the city was not “going against” the pending report, De Lille said. Ehrenreich welcomed her “important agreement” to consider the public protector’s report and other concerns.
bronwynne.jooste@inl.co.za
Cape Argus