Cape Town - As details over the sale of Newlands Rugby Stadium remain sketchy and Western Province Rugby playing its cards close to its chest, residents have called for the historical precinct to be developed before it deteriorates further.
Five years since its move from Newlands to the Cape Town Stadium, Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) administrator Peter Jooste has refuted claims that the stadium has been sold, describing the alleged sale as “fake” news.
This follows reports that the venue was sold to an unidentified buyer approved through a voting process.
Jooste said the planned sale was not discussed with any media.
“Whoever writes that, it’s fake news, it’s absolutely nothing. That is something that they sucked out of their thumb because not me who is dealing with it spoke to anybody in the press about it,” he said.
The former home of rugby in Cape Town has gone into a state of neglect as rumours swirl that the grounds will be redeveloped into residential and office space.
When the Cape Argus visited the stadium on Thursday, the field was a shadow of its former glory, the once hallowed pitch overgrown with weeds.
Two years ago, WPRFU announced that Newlands Stadium was to be placed on the market in a sealed bidding process.
Entities who wished to pursue an interest in bidding were to request details of the property and the terms and conditions of the bidding process from Galetti (Pty) Limited.
The deadline for submission of non-binding offers was on April 15, 2022, with submission of final binding offers on May 31 that year.
WPRFU hoped that a sale would be concluded by June 7, 2022, but this wouldn’t materialise, as the union in 2023 again revealed the sale remained crucial to the future sustainability of Western Province Rugby.
The completion of the sale was one of the main responsibilities given to then-appointed administrator, Rian Oberholzer, when the union was placed under administration by the SA Rugby Union in October 2021.
Jooste, who was elected as the administrator earlier this year after Max Fuzani stepped down, said a press conference would be scheduled to announce the future of the stadium.
Though he was unable to provide an exact date or time, he said everyone “would get an opportunity to write about it”.
All of Western Province Rugby’s professional teams moved to the DHL Stadium in 2021.
The Newlands Residents Association said while the sale stalled, the stadium precinct was left unkempt.
The association’s representative for environment, Clare Burgess, said they welcomed the development of the site.
“Currently the area is looking and feeling very run down and any new development will assist in changing this, so the sale of the land is possibly the first step towards revitalising this historical precinct in Newlands.”
Burgess said they were also concerned about the environment and wanted the future developers to consider the ecosystem in Newlands.
“NRA chairperson March Turnbull was asked to comment on the redevelopment plans last year and raised concerns about the increased pressure on the traffic and neighbourhood’s roads and other resources.
“Other concerns are the impact on the environment. The site is adjacent to the Liesbeek River and the Liesbeek River Trail which utilises public open space along the river banks,” said Burgess.
Ward councillor Mikhail Manuel said the overwhelming sentiment from residents was that they wanted the stadium redeveloped as soon as possible.
The City of Cape Town requested that any questions be sent to the property owners, stating that it is not associated with the sale.