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Following City Press’ articles last week about corporates ousting pharmacies from malls and shopping centres, one of the pharmacy owners who spoke out against the practice was served with a legal letter threatening to evict her.
Ntakadzeni Nndanganeni, the owner of Dohwi Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy in Musina Mall in Limpopo, was told that her lease would not be renewed after she rejected offers to buy her out.
She has been served with a letter demanding R266 000 or she will face being evicted.
Nndanganeni said the issue of the amount was previously raised and the matter even went to court, but property company the Moolman Group had dropped it.
However, after City Press’ article, they resurrected it and threatened to evict her from the mall.
Nndanganeni said: “The amount is turnover rental that was never claimed and we have never received any invoice for it for almost five years, and now they want all of it at the same time or else they will evict us.”
The mall’s management had informed her that her lease – due for renewal in September – would not be renewed.
Nndanganeni, who has been trading in the mall since 2009, said she was approached as early as January 2017 by banking giant Investec to surrender her business for R2.5 million.
She rejected the offer.
According to Nndanganeni’s lawyer, Titus Mokgalabone, Investec won a case to claim the money from her last year after a default judgment at the Musina Magistrates’ Court, but the landlord later agreed not to enforce the judgment.
“They won a judgment against my client, but we are appealing it because they applied for a default even though we filed our papers on time. They claimed we did not and it was handed in in our absence. They [the landlord] had agreed to halt enforcing the judgment, but gave her an offer that was very small and unacceptable. This week, they said they wanted to enforce the judgment and evict her. They also want the money,” Mokgalabone said.
Attempts to get comment from the landlord’s lawyer, Wiets Beukes, were fruitless.
Musina Local Municipality spokesperson Wilson Dzebu confirmed Nndanganeni’s letter in which she was seeking assistance from mayor Mihloti Muhlope was receiving the necessary attention.
He did not speak about the type of intervention that had been planned.
