The lease for Fish Hoek’s beachfront restaurant, The Galley, was sold for R350 000 a month today after the initial auction, held in November last year, was declared invalid.
The restaurant, currently leased by Herbie and Mathea Eichel, on a month-to-month basis was one of 43 properties and leases that the City put up for auction on Wednesday October 2.
Before commencing the auction, auctioneer Stef Olivier made a catalogue correction stating that the restaurant covered 1896m² instead of the advertised 1294m².
He said added to the 1294m² area were a 455m² play area and a 147m² outside seating area.
The lease is for 20 years with the option to renew for 10 more and the monthly rental amount includes rates and taxes.
Occupation of the property is April 1, 2025.
Bidding opened at R100 000.
Despite telling the Echo she would not participate in the bidding, Ms Eichel bid up to R125 000 whereafter Mike Townsend, the winner of the previous auction in November last year, and an unknown man continued the bidding.
The winning bid of R350 000 went to the unknown man with bid number 531.
Mr Townsend confirmed that he did “not get it”.
Earlier this year, the City questioned the legitimacy of the bid after it came to light that Mr Townsend had made the initial bid on behalf of the Kalk Bay Waterfront Development (KBWD), the lessor of the Harbour House building at the Kalk Bay Harbour, and not his own business, K2023, a subsidiary of Sweetheart of the Rodea (Pty) Ltd (“Galley lease could be up for grabs again,” Echo, August 5).
In August, the Echo reported that the matter was referred to the City’s Immovable Property Adjudication Committee (IPAC) for a decision that concluded that the lease should be reauctioned (“The Galley’s lease up for grabs again,” Echo, September 17).
This is a developing story.
