Racism claims in war over Harties water

The owner of a company offering cruises on the Hartebeespoort Dam believes that he is being targeted because the majority of his clients are black.

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Pretoria - In the midst of a claim on business rights to the Hartbeespoort Dam lies a dispute concerning the livelihood of a man owning a boating company at the popular tourist attraction.

Jerry Grant, owner of Sunshine Cruises - a company which offers luxury cruises, party boats and various water sport activities in the dam - has taken the Schoemansville Oewer Klub to the Competition Tribunal. He wants an interim order to allow him to continue operating pending the outcome of a separate investigation involving the Department of Water and Sanitation and Competition Commission.

Graeme Peplar, the chairman of the Schoemansville Oewer Club, failed to submit answering affidavits in time but the two parties were allowed to argue the merits of the case before the tribunal.

“I cannot allow him to continue with his business until Water Affairs (department) makes a decision on the claim Jack Seale has rights to the businesses on the dam,” Peplar said.

During the tribunal it was revealed that Seale had told the club it was operating illegally as he had business/corporate rights over the water in the Hartbeespoort Dam. The case is still being investigated.

Grant said that on December 5 last year the club told them (him and other businesses operating on the dam) they could no longer conduct their businesses pending the case.

However, this was later overturned.

But when business activities resumed, Grant was forced to charge his customers a R70 entrance fee instead of R10 like before.

Grant also had to charge customers R250 for boat rides.

His main issue was that another company was allowed to continue charging R10 entrance fees and R160 for boat rides.

This was killing his business, he said. “There is a lot of racism in this club.

“My customers are majority black people and I think that’s why this is happening. My customers used to get harassed all the time,” Grant said.

Peplar denied this allegation, saying there were many people of different races in the club and there was no racism or discrimination.

Grant countered: “If they are consistent and fair then why are the rest of us not treated the same? That is my biggest problem.”

In an emotional moment, Grant said his business was his only source of income and he had no pension fund and still needed to take care of his family.

He said that they were told to stop operating during peak season on days when they were busiest and they would need that money to carry the business during the winter months.

In his defence, Peplar said the company which was charging R10 entrance fees and R160 boat rides had a contract and that needed to be enforced. He said they were also paying a R1 500 retainer which the other companies were not.

Peplar said, following Seale’s declaration, that if any company continued operating boat rides on the dam, he had not given any authority to do so, nor did he give any authority for them to cease activities.

As long as customers paid R70 to enter the club, anything that happened afterwards was not his concern.

Advocate Yasmin Carrim, who was chairing the hearing, said they would deliberate and “in due course” would issue an interim order.

nomaswazi.nkosi@inl.co.za

Pretoria News