The Nelson Mandela Metro has decided to review its controversial decision it made two years ago to sell the Hill golf course to the PE Golf Club for R400,000.

Housing and land officials have investigated the sale and are due to present a report to the housing and land committee that first agreed to the sale at its next meeting later this month.

Although the land committee would still have to submit its recommendations to the mayoral committee and the municipal manager, the review could result in the sale being cancelled, officials said on Monday.

Metro spokesman Cupido Baron said the metro had conducted "a technical investigation into the sale of the piece of land" after numerous objections from members of the public.

"The metro has considered the objections by the public in a very serious light" Baron said.

Several sources in the council said the metro had felt the R400,000 it had raised from the sale was too low for such a prime property.

This compared to the huge profit the golf club would stand to make should it develop the land into a golf estate.

Baron said the metro would not be prepared to comment at present as there were "legal implications" to reviewing the sale.

The golf course is leased to the PE Golf Club under a 99-year agreement. Initially metro officials were adamant that "the site should be retained as a recreational area".

Metro spokesman Roland Williams said the committee had agreed only to the sale of the golf course and not to an application to have it turned into a golf estate or a residential area.

"This is council's asset. We cannot dispose of it without checking all the technicalities before making any decision," Williams said.

Golf Club president Jeremy Harben said members were still waiting for council to approve the application.

"As far as I know metro took an in-principle recommendation to sell us the land. The matter is still with council," said Harben.

When asked if the club had specifically intended to develop a golf estate on the land, Harben said: "We want to make the facility a better facility."

The club was prepared to explore other options if the metro did not approve the sale, Harben said.

The PE Golf Course is zoned as private open space.

In 2003, the committee agreed to sell the land for nearly R400,000 to the club.

The club said at the time it wanted to upgrade its facilities to the standard of golf estates in Mossel Bay and George, as well as Spier in Stellenbosch and Boschenmeer in Paarl.

Eastern Province Herald