Upon further inspection he saw the illegal residents who occupy the property running with buckets of water to put out a fire in the building.
According to Faddel, Tommy Miller, an occupant of one of the rooms that forms part of the hotel who is doing his best to protect what is still left of the derelict building, said he kicked out two vagrants the night before and suspects that they returned later and set the rubble in the structure alight.
The fire department finally doused the smouldering embers, but some residents in the area who had gathered on the scene said they hoped the hotel would burn out completely as no one seems to be accountable for the 'mess'.
The Hawthorndene Hotel, once the pride of George, was sold on auction by Mohamed Patel, the liquidator acting on behalf of Good Hope Trustees in Cape Town, to George businessman Les Dyason, who initially bought the hotel for R2,5-million on 1 February 2013, but following post-auction negotiations the price was upped to about R4,5-million.
The sale has however, not been concluded. Patel said there is no valid sale agreement in place.
Faddel says he has gone to every conceivable authority to try and resolve the situation. "No one seems to be capable or wants to get involved."
He now feels that he should ask someone in the Western Cape Legislator about the situation. "At least then it will become official and someone will have to answer the questions if asked in Parliament. I believe only then will something happen."
The buckets used by illegal residents to put out the fire, while firemen inside the building douse the embers.
'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'
