Go-ahead for auction of Durban 'monstrosity'
The sale by public auction of a controversial apartment building on Durban’s Berea will go ahead today. This, reports TimesLIVE, was confirmed by Kurt Knoop, liquidator of Serengeti Rise Industries, which developed the partly-completed nine-story building at 317 Currie Road.
Civic action group Save Our Berea (SOB) attempted to interdict the sale, arguing that it should not proceed pending a further hearing into whether the building should be demolished.
KZN High Court (Durban) Judge Graham Lopes ruled that SOB had no legal standing to stay the sale.
Knoop said he could not say how many bidders had registered for the auction but five interested parties had viewed the property this week.
SOB will now proceed with the main application in which it seeks wide-ranging relief, including the demolition of the building which, it claims, was erected through ‘fraud, corruption and collusion’, in the rezoning and plan approval process.
A date for this will be set once all parties, including the eThekwini municipality, have filed papers.
In previous litigation over the building, which has been labelled a ‘monstrosity’, neighbours secured a demolition order in the High Court.
But this was overturned on appeal in the SCA.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
