Pretoria - Some residents at Wonderboom South are at loggerheads with a club manager after the windows of their homes were damaged by cricket balls hit by players during matches at Klipkoppies Cricket Field.
The field is rented from the City of Tshwane by club manager Justin Wilson.
Homeowners, who declined to be identified, said they were at their wits’ end after Wilson refused to cough up for the damages.
One of the residents asked the mayoral committee member for Corporate and Shared Services, Kingsley Wakelin, to intervene. In an email she sent to Wakelin on June 18, she said: “There have been numerous emails sent since 27/04/2023, regarding damages done to my property by cricket balls. Windows have to be replaced more than often, but the last straw was when damage was done of over R21 000 to my vehicle.”
The woman told Wakelin that she confronted Wilson, who “just pulls up his shoulders, saying it is our risk to stay across a cricket field and we must claim from the city council”.
According to her, all that residents wanted was for Wilson to “keep the field up to standard safety and to keep it safe for the surrounding community”.
“There are children playing in the front yard. Is Mr Wilson’s attitude going to be the same if one of those children gets hit on the head by a flying cricket ball?” she asked.
Another resident said: “We are putting mattresses on our vehicles to protect them. We have been to Moot police station regarding this matter but got no assistance.”
Residents also felt let down by the Tshwane Metro Police Department.
In one of the emails seen by the Pretoria News, metro police functional head Konrad Dillman said: “To my understanding it is the homeowner’s responsibility to ensure his property is not damaged adjacent to a sports facility.”
He suggested, however, that the municipality or the cricket club could be liable for damages.
Wilson said the aggrieved residents had not communicated with him, but that someone had forwarded him their complaints and he had responded.
“Currently, as the club falling under the Northern Cricket Union, we are fully aware of the alleged complaints and we want to resolve the matter as speedily as possible for all parties,” he said.
“I personally didn’t hit the cricket ball, but we want to resolve it. We want the community to be happy. We are not saying it didn’t happen, but the solution is important. How do we find a solution and stop it from happening again?”
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said: “We cannot be held liable for damages suffered by a private party, where such damages were caused by another private party.”
Pretoria News