Western Province address Villagers issue

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Western Province Rugby has moved to reassure Villagers Rugby Club that their tenancy of Brookside is secure amid concerns of a lack of communication between the two parties. DYLAN JACK reports.

Villagers Rugby Club on Thursday raised concerns that Western Province had not consulted them over recent developments regarding Brookside.

This comes after Western Province on Wednesday announced that its clubs had voted in majority to approve Flyt Property as a development partner.

According to a statement released by the WPRFU, this was with regard to the redevelopment of both Newlands Stadium and Brookside – which has been home to Villagers since 1937.

The WPRFU council also approved a proposal that another new company be incorporated between the WPRFU and Flyt Property Group, called Brookside DevCo.

According to the statement, this new company will purchase the Brookside property and its purpose will be to develop that property as a mixed-use development.

Anton Chait – who served as president of Villagers between 2018 and 2019 – told SARugbymag.co.za on Thursday that they had not heard anything from Western Province regarding an addendum to their lease of Brookside, which would see the A-field upgraded to an artificial pitch while the other two fields would be given to a developer for mixed-use development.

ALSO READ: Villagers concerned about Brookside development deal

Following a query to Western Province, president Zelt Marais said they had already reassured Villagers during the special general council meeting on Tuesday, where the Flyt Property deal was approved.

‘We answered the club’s representative at the meeting on Tuesday when he raised the same question,’ Marais said.

Chait tweeted on social media that he had a ‘positive discussion’ with Marais and that Villagers were awaiting the signed addendum on the lease.

Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images

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Dylan Jack