The Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board will be hosting Public Hearings in respect of an application for the relocation of an existing casino in the Western Cape.
The applicant, Tsogo Sun Caledon (Pty) Ltd, will host two public hearings, one in Caledon and the other in the Strand.
The hearing in the Helderberg area will be held on Friday July 12, at 11am in the Charles Morkel Hall, on the corners of Church Street and Broadway Boulevard, Strand.
In Caledon the hearing will be on Tuesday June 11, at 11am at the Swartberg Hall, The Caledon Casino, Hotel, Spa and Entertainment, 1 Nerina Avenue, Caledon.
The Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (“the Board”) is currently considering the application of Tsogo Sun Caledon (Pty) Ltd (‘the Applicant”) to relocate the casino from Caledon in the Overberg area to Somerset West in the Helderberg area in terms of sections 41(2) and 32 of the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Act, 1996 (Act 4 of 1996) (“Act”).
The site for the proposed relocation and development is situated within the urban area of the Somerset West local Municipality and is located on Portion 29 of Farm 794, which previously formed part of the Somerset West Golf Course.
This application has previously been advertised for public comments and objections and due to the nature of objections received, the Board has now scheduled a public hearing in both the Overberg and Helderberg areas to afford the public the opportunity to make oral submissions to the Board and to testify and or to call witnesses.
The Applicant will also have an opportunity to respond to each objector’s submission at the public hearing, cross-examine any witnesses and to present evidence before the Board.
The conduct of gambling operations is regulated in terms of the Act and the National Gambling Act 7 of 2004. Since licensed gambling constitutes a legitimate business operation, moral objections for or against gambling will not be considered by the Board.
An objection that merely states that one is opposed to gambling, without much substantiation, will have a lower weighting than a factual objection.
Members of the public are hereby encouraged to read the Act and learn more about the Board’s powers and the matters pursuant to which objections may be lodged.
These are outlined in Sections 28, 30, 31 and 35 of the Act. Members of the public can obtain a copy of the objections guidelines, which is an explanatory guide of the legal framework governing the lodgement of objections and the Board’s adjudication procedures.
The objections guidelines are accessible from the Board’s website at www.wcgrb.co.za and copies can also be made available on request.
Members of the public wishing to address the Board, testify and or call witnesses at the public hearing are requested, within 30 days of the publication of this notice (by no later than 4pm on Monday May 27) to request permission to make oral representation to the Board, by notifying the Licensing Administrator, Emily Hartle, of such intention, either by phoning her on 073 142 5657, between 9am and 3pm on Mondays to Fridays, or by e-mailing her to Enquiries.Licensing@wcgrb.co.za.
The request via telephone or via e-mail should include the full names, surname, postal address and contact number of the person requesting an opportunity to address the Board; must indicate if witnesses will be called, the number of witnesses, the full names and surnames of the witnesses, their postal addresses and contact numbers; the language in which testimony or oral representation to the Board will be made, and whether the representations will be made at the public hearing scheduled in Strand or in Caledon.
Members of the public who have not notified the Office of the Board of their intention to make representations at the public hearing before the closing date, might not be afforded the opportunity to address the Board at the hearing. This will be dependent on the number of registered persons who sought permission to address the Board at the public meeting.
