Drama as CEDA �seizes� Iketlo Lodge
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday October 28, 2015 15:09
Information uncovered by a Mmegi newscrew on site indicates that CEDA auctioned the lodge, which was developed with the agency’s funds, in August. The Kumakwane landmark was bought by one Lorraine Ferguson for over P3 million, but the new owner had never been granted access to her new asset due to a dispute with the old owner.
Yesterday morning, Ferguson together with CEDA officials forced themselves inside the lodge and unlocked all the rooms in order to seize all movable assets. The locks were then changed so that Ferguson would have exclusive access to the lodge.
However, matters quickly turned nasty when, Armstrong Kebakile, who had been renting the lodge from the former owner, turned up and locked the lodge’s main gates, blocking the removal vans, CEDA officials, and even the Mmegi newscrew from leaving.
Police were then called to the scene.
Kebakile argued that he had the right to continue running the lodge as he had an agreement with the lodge’s owner, Tlhomamiso Kebashwele and CEDA, that he would buy the lodge.
The CEDA officials were forced to call the police to intervene in the matter.
Kebashwele told Mmegi that he had rented out the lodge to Kebakile for five years, during which “everything ran smoothly”.
“Things changed or turned nasty after I asked Kebakile to renew his lease. He then told me that he could not continue paying rent since he was now the owner.
“He stayed two years without paying anything, which resulted in me defaulting in my loan with CEDA. “Prior to this, I was paying CEDA P20,000 and he was paying a rental of P25,000, every month,” Kebashwele said.
He said his lodge would not have been auctioned by CEDA had Kebakile paid him rent.
“The sad thing is that I even offered him to buy it after CEDA at first threatened to sell it. He has failed to buy it as per the condition they set for him and now he is blocking the new owner and CEDA officials from doing their job,” Kebashwele said angrily.
Kebashwele said he was the real victim of the troubles at Iketlo as it would take him long to find a new location and build a new lodge, while he is also advanced in age. CEDA legal advisor, Pogiso Thapelo said the matter has been dragging since 2008 and the agency had tried to be patient, hoping that the loan would be paid or serviced. “We are just executing a court order that we long had,” he said.
“As CEDA, we talk to our clients first and try to find ways that they can service the loan. It is true that they defaulted for two years. The lodge was sold on August 26 after giving all the concerned parties time to raise money to clear the debts.
“Even the person who was running it had shown interest to buy, but failed to abide by certain things.”
Thapelo said they had now handed the lodge to its new owner and other issues would be dealt with as they arise.
For his part, a visibly emotional Kebakile declined to comment saying the matter was still before the courts.
“You see that they forced themselves in and broke the locks. It’s best you wait for the matter to finish in the courts,” he said.
The auctioned and seized furniture included 43 single beds, three double beds, 91 bedroom suites, two chests of drawers, 42 brown dotted sofas, 22 coffee tables, 72 tables, 115 chairs, one overhead projector and one flipboard chart. Ferguson, the new owner, refused to comment on the developments.