Order of Court forces City of Johannesburg to reinstate water to Gautrain Sandton Station - MEC Jacob Mamabolo
I am glad to be informed that the settlement agreement signed between Bombela Concession Company and the City of Johannesburg whereby the City has agreed to install a separate water supply and meter to the Sandton Gautrain station, has been made an Order of the Court.
This water supply to the Gautrain Sandton Station will not be linked to the performance of Cedar Park Properties 39 (Pty) Ltd or its obligations toward the City.
In terms of the settlement, the Bombela Concession Company will pay R120, 000 that it will cost the city to install the separate meter and the water supply to the Gautrain Sandton Station will be restored within two days.
It is expected that the water will be restored by the close of business on Thursday, 3 October 2019 bringing an end to this unnecessary saga.
The water supply to the station was cut off on 06 September 2019.
I was being kept up to date on this situation by Gautrain Management Agency daily and was becoming more and more concerned that the City of Johannesburg either did not understand the basis on which Gautrain was independent of Cedar Park or, even more concerning, misconstruing it for political expediency.
As this is the first time I am talking on this matter, I want to emphasise the following:
•Firstly, all the land on which the Gautrain Sandton station is built was acquired in 2006 from the City of Johannesburg according to Clause 11 of the Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act, GTIA Act 8 of 2001, to build and operate a railway system. The Gauteng Provincial Government paid the City of Johannesburg R160m for this right.
This means that the Gautrain is and will never be a tenant.
- Something the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg (and lately the Chief Whip of the DA) fails to understand or did not want to understand.
- Secondly, the water account for the Gautrain Sandton station was paid in full.
- Thirdly, both the Gautrain Management Agency and Bombela Concession Company, on several occasions, tried to meet with officials of the city to resolve the matter and the City failed to respond to our invitations.
It is irresponsible and not in the best interest of the city or the province to put not only the health of 20,000 daily rail commuters at risk but also tarnish the reputation of both entities. I fully support government entities assisting each other in the process of collecting debt from corporates or even other government departments that owe them money, but there is a right way to do it and there is the way City of Johannesburg tried to do it in this case.
Enquiries:
Theo Nkonki
Cell: 082 719 6404
Melitah Madiba
Cell: 073 644 9935
E-mail: PressOffice.gpdrt@gauteng.gov.za
