Legal battle ensues between Gallants and Polokwane municipality

A legal battle between Marumo Gallants and the Polokwane municipality is set to get underway at the Limpopo High Court on Wednesday.

The municipality has taken Marumo Gallants to court for a breach of contract.

This follows their decision to move their DStv Premiership home match against Kaizer Chiefs to the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg.

Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a second alternative venue for Marumo Gallants who use the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane as their main venue and Old Peter Mokaba as their first alternative.

The municipality is of the view that the game involving Chiefs helps generate more income due to the club’s large following. Marumo Gallants use the venue for free and share the gate takings with the municipality.

The club is reportedly persuaded by the lucrative offer from the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN), which is believed to be in the region of R4 million, to play their big games in Rustenburg.

But the Polokwane municipality has taken Bahlabani ba Ntwa to court in a bid to stop the match in Rustenburg on Sunday. The case is scheduled for Wednesday, 7 September, at Limpopo High Court in Polokwane.

“Both parties (Marumo and municipality) lawyers have exchanged documents to that effect. The PSL also has weighed in,” an informant close to the situation has told FARPost.

“Tomorrow morning [Wednesday], it will be in the High Court. It’s more than the word serious.”

The outcome of the case could have serious implications to the parties affected, which is the league, Kaizer Chiefs, Marumo Gallants, Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, computicket, Polokwane Municipality as well as football fans.

Computicket had already started selling tickets for the match initially scheduled for Polokwane earlier this month at R40 per person.

But the ticketing service provider stopped and has now opened the ticket sales for the 45 000 capacity.

The matter also seems to have compromised the relations between Marumo Gallants and Polokwane municipality, who have a three-year agreement to host all the PSL matches at the 2010 World Cup precinct.