WPCA statement after Advocate Nic Kock resigns as President
Advocate Nic Kock resigned as president of the WPCA at the Association’s AGM on Monday evening, citing concerns over a set of three leases in respect of a Cricket Museum, a Cricketorium and a Multi-Purpose Hall that are being developed for the WPCA.
Mr Kock, a respected sports administrator, was a loyal servant of cricket in the Western Cape for over a decade and was part of the original Stadium Development Committee that had the foresight to re-develop the Newlands Cricket Ground. The WPCA wishes him well in his future endeavours.
The development is a joint venture between Sanlam Life and Western Province Property Holdings Pty Ltd and over 20 000m2 of new commercial space will be open for business in 2021. Construction commenced in February 2019 and has progressed at pace.
Whilst Mr Kock has expressed his view, the WPCA and the co-owners of the NCG however remain confident that the North Precinct Development remains an exciting and viable venture which will create long-term benefits not only for them, but also for WPCA and the cricket fraternity as a whole.
Roughly 50% of the commercial space has been designed for office usage, with the balance being educational – ensuring that the Newlands Cricket Ground continues its tradition of being a fountain for youth.
Varsity College have signed a long-term lease and will be relocating to the NCG from its current Rondebosch location, whilst CPUT will be creating an exciting new Sports Management Campus complete with a Sports Science Laboratory. Restaurants, Cafes and an open-air Piazza complete the mix.
Over 800 parking bays will be provided and great care has been placed in designing separate vehicle and pedestrianised journeys. A brand-new pedestrian bridge will span across the railway line, providing a much needed connection to the Newlands Station, to Claremont’s CBD or to the Main Road along the tree-lined Liesbeek River flanked by the famous Brewery and Josephine’s Mill.
Due to the impact of the Pandemic, the completion dates have been pushed out from January 2021 to July 2021.
At last night’s AGM, the WCPA also appointed the following independent directors to the Board: Marleen Potgieter, Faldi Samaai, Nikita Koopman and Bulelwa Toni. Further appointments will be made at the adjourned AGM including 2 non-independent directors and another independent director, following the resignation of Itumeleng Langeni due to work commitments.