2018-02-01Staff Report 2 Jeremiah Ndjoze Windhoek-Mayor of the City of Windhoek Muesee Kazapua yesterday reiterated the City’s stance that the 38-hectare piece of land that was formerly leased to Ramatex is not up for sale. The mayor made the pronouncement in a deliberate move to deter would-be developers from flooding the corridors of the Windhoek municipality with applications for the industrial plot. His remarks come in the wake of the Namibian Supreme Court’s dismissal of an appeal by Ramatex liquidators, which was preceded by an application filed by the latter in the High Court, in which they sought a declarator to the effect that the lease agreement between the City and Ramatex was valid ‘and of full force and effect’. The appeal was dismissed with costs on January 17. Prior to that, the High Court application was also dismissed, with costs. Speaking at his mayoral new year message address yesterday, Kazapua maintained the decision on the remnants of the Malaysian textile entity and the land on which it is located will soon be deliberated upon at council level in the next couple of months, but he stated firmly that the commercial property would not be sold. “I expect the council to deal with and finalise the future of the Ramatex land and properties now that the court judgement is in our (the City’s) favour. But let it be known to all developers out there that we are not going to sell the Ramatex property,” the mayor said. He however maintained that the City would be open to engage the private sector in developments of a mutually beneficial public-private partnership nature that will benefit the communities on the ground, such as “a shopping mall or any other mixed development”. The mayor called on the technocrats at the municipality to deliberate on the best options and to brief the council on the next course of action. The Ramatex issue is among some key projects that the city council intends to conclude in the remainder of the current financial year, which ends in June. Not the first time This is not the first time that the City pronounces itself on the future of the property. Following the demise of Ramatex in 2008, Namusa – another textile firm and a joint venture between Namibian and American business people – was given the nod to buy the piece of land in 2014 in a N$143 million deal. That same year, the municipality cancelled the contract, citing lack of progress at the disused facility in Otjomuise as the reason, but Namusa wrote back appealing the decision. The City then decided to give the company a final opportunity to buy the property on condition that it signed an amended deed of sale within 10 working days after the date of the resolution. The firm was also urged to pay the full price within 10 days of the resolution, while the interest accruing on the purchase price would be regarded as occupational rent until such time the transfer was done. Any requests for amendments/changes or extension of the deed of sale by the company would not be entertained and it was further resolved at the time that should the firm fail to adhere to these conditions, the municipality, through the strategic executive: economic development and environmental, would market and sell the property to others. 2018-02-01Staff Report 2
