GEORGE NEWS - Hawthorndene Hotel, one of George's oldest hotels, is going to be put on the market again. Cape Town Liquidator Mohamed Patel, of Patel and Totos Attorneys, appointed Van Rensburgs Auctions to handle the sale.
He confirmed this during an on site visit last Thursday 9 September. The shocking deterioration is mostly due to the entire hotel being stripped by thieves of anything of value including some parts of the roof.
The hotel has been standing empty for eight years after the two companies that own the property were placed under liquidation. Since then there have been several auctions, none of which came to fruition.
The flats adjacent to the hotel are occupied by 53 people, most of whom are unemployed and who continue to live there with Patel's permission on the condition that they stop vandals from stripping the place and that they maintain the gardens.
There are still legal issues - mainly the rates and taxes in arrears and disputes relating to outstanding services bills that need to be settled. Patel said during the visit that it would cost up to R5-million to upgrade the hotel, but added to this was a ballpark figure. George Municipality at one time placed a value of R17-million on the property.
Ann Spies, of Van Rensburg Auction in George, who accompanied Patel on a brief inspection, said it would take up to two months to complete the formalities before placing the property on the market - either through a tender process or through an auction.
Neville Klue, a spokesperson for the homeless people living in the flats, said at present there is a problem with drug addicts sleeping in the old hotel at night. He said that they creep into the building late at night and are impossible to keep out.
He also called in the police to investigate theft after some doors were stripped from the building. During the George Herald's visit last week, a George detective arrived to take a statement from Klue. Heatherlands residents say it is a disgrace that the building was allowed to be actively neglected. The police have repeatedly said they do not have the manpower to police the place.
Chantel Edwards-Klose, George Municipality media liaison officer, said, "The George Municipal Town Planning division undertakes to assist where they are allowed to in terms of Council policies, but cannot become involved in private disputes."
A former company director of Pluscor 6 and Natserve (Pty) Limited and a co-owner of the Hawthordene property said the land on which the property is situated is over 1ha. He believes that the property is still valuable despite the deterioration and can be revamped (see story elsewhere).
The final creditors meeting was held in Cape Town on Friday 11 September, in the winding up of the liquidation of Natserve earlier this year.
53 people live here.
Hawthorndene kan weer herleef
'n Voormalige direkteur van Pluscor, Tertius Theart, een van twee maatskappye wat die hoofaandele in Hawthorndene Hotel besit het, (tot hul albei gelikwideer is) het vandeesweek die mening uitgespreek dat die probleme wat tans ondervind word met vandalisme - tog met die nodige regrukaksies die hoof gebied kan word.
"Dit is mits die George-munisipaliteit en sy regsadviseurs hulle samewerking gee om dit te bewerkstellig.
Vanaf sy huis in Bellville, het Theart gebieg in 'n telefoonoproep, "Dit bly vir my 'n hartseer saak om te verneem van die vandalisme by die Hawthorndene Hotel. Die plek het my al baie trane gekos. Daar is heelwat uitstaande kwessies wat moet aandag kry, maar dit kan uitgesorteer word, mits die munisipaliteit die geskil oor die water- en kragrekenings uitsorteer.
Selfs met die geweldige agteruitgang van die hoofgebou, sal dit nog steeds moontlik wees om die woonstelle te voltooi en voort te gaan om die hotel weer op te knap en te herstel tot sy vorige glorie." Theart het vertel dat hy bewus is van die dakplate wat ook al gesteel is. Dit is egter noodsaaklik dat die George- munisipaliteit 'n groot gedeelte, van die agterstallige dienste- en belastingheffings afskryf het Theart aangedui.
"Om telkens weer 'n nuwe eienaar op te saal met agterstallige fooie - soos met my ook die geval was - maak dit onmoontlik om 'n vloeiende bedryf op die been te kry. Die belasting op die hotel het buitensporig geraak, en dit sal altyd 'n steen des aanstoots bly.
Daar is nie tans 'n hofsaak aanhangig oor die Hawthorndene nie, Natserve, waarvan ek ook 'n direkteur is, is vroëer vanjaar gelikwideer en dus behoort dit inderdaad makliker te wees om die hotel, die woonstelle en die grond as 'n geheel te verkoop.
Dit sal nie verstandig wees om nie die bates te verdeel nie, want die woonstelle is almal onderhewig aan deeltitel-eienaarskap, dit terwyl die hotel as 'n enkeltitel geregistreer is. Om die hele proses van voor af te begin met hersonering, sal dus onnodig wees en net vertraging meebring met die opknappingsproses. Ek wil ook net noem dat die grensoorskreidingskwessies destyds reeds almal opgelos is, en dat dit beslis nie 'n probleem is nie."
Theart het bygevoeg dat hy destyds van plan was om die voorkant van die hotel te behou (in die Art Deco styl) maar dat die syingang 'n nuwe vooraansig sou gekry het (toe Pluscor in 'n finansiële verknorsing geraak het).
Die omgewing waarin die hotel is bly baie mooi, en die Hawthorndene behoort 'n bate te word, en behoort nie verstrengel te bly in die huidige rampspoedige situasie nie."
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD - JOURNALIST
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