Shooting From The Hip
Carlos Kambaekwa
It really pains me these days to witness what once was the pride of the nation, the “Big Four” (African Stars, Black Africa, Orlando Pirates and Tigers), walking a tight rope and playing second fiddle to traditional minnows while taking turns in the battle against relegation almost every season.
Well, the balance of power has shifted drastically, and domestic football will just never be the same again, hence the dwelling of crowds at high-profiled matches. The gap is widening between clubs with own facilities such as Stadium, Club House, and many other financial means and those who have to be content with showing off a couple of rusty silverware stuffed up somewhere in a forgotten former club official’s dilapidated cupboard.
Black Africa lost their spacious piece of land next to the A. Shipena Secondary School in Katutura, following their apparent failure to develop the plot which they acquired from the City of Windhoek for a paltry amount of N$99 over a lease period of 99 years.
On the other side of town, Wanderers Sports Club acquired a piece of land in the same fashion, but in the more affluent Pionierspark suburb – the White Stallions lived up to their initial agreement with the City of Windhoek and developed the land for strictly sport purposes, or so it was meant to be.
Today, the complex boasts a number of state-of-the-art facilities such as rugby, hockey and cricket fields including practice nets for cricket, netball courts, squash and dance halls, several pubs and a barbeque area for family outings. Mission accomplished, Wanderers tip-toed back to the City of Windhoek and applied for the Re-Zoning of the remaining undeveloped piece of land on Erf 1277 in Tunschel Street, Pionierspark.
The Council dully obliged and endorsed this somewhat dodgy business deal after resolving that the conditions registered against Erf 1277 be cancelled and the short standard conditions be registered against the targeted Portions and that both Portions 1 and 2 with a combined density of 3 square metres be rezoned from ‘private open space’ to ‘general residential’.
The initial lease agreement between Wanderers Club and the City of Windhoek was that the land would be used for recreational purposes only, but the latest developments changed the whole complexion of the agreement and the Council was obliged to adjust the subsidized value of the agreement.
The Council resolved that a betterment fee of slightly over 2-million dollars, being 75% of the increase in value of Portions 1 to 14 on Erf 1277, Pionierspark, after their rezoning, be payable to the City of Windhoek subject to Ministerial approval.
In the meantime, the deal has gone through and one cannot but help turn entirely green with envy when looking through the corner of your goggles, only to be greeted by a block of state-of-the-art Apartments, if by chance passing through the almost one kilometre-long Tunschel street. These Apartments are such an eye-catching piece of beauty that it has dwarfed the once admirable Wanderers Club facilities or, by extension, the Ramblers Club next door.
Now the fundamental question that needs to be addressed is: Who is fooling who now? Wanderers will now obviously smile all the way to the bank even after parting with the 75% betterment fee to the City of Windhoek.
This particular exercise, legal as it might be, has certainly set the cat loose among the pigeons and could have serious ramifications in the long run as other clubs might also seize the opportunity to make a quick buck through such dubious business dealings.
Black Africa, for instance, could have approached any potential donor or taken out a loan from the bank to develop a portion of their piece of land for recreational purposes, even in a small measure, and then dispose of the remaining portions, pocketing a sizeable amount of moolah in the process, which could have given them breathing space to offset their debt.
Once bitten twice shy, my darkie broers. Awaken, smell the java and learn a trick or two from the street-smart Laanies – they have been around for quite a while and know exactly how to wangle their way around shaky ground when a loophole goes begging, so to speak.