It’s a battle for the ages — being waged by the aged.
A group of about 35 senior citizens in Hermanus say they will not budge from their coastal retirement estate with sea views, which is on the market for a whopping R160m.
Mollergren Park is an unusual 2ha coastal oasis donated 55 years ago by a wealthy Johannesburg couple, Albert and Helen Mollergren, to the Rotary Club Hermanus. The intention was to provide low-cost rental accommodation for pensioners. They financed the first eight chalets and there are now 23 units.
But the idyllic situation has soured for residents. Rotary wants to dispose of the property and move the retirees to an alternative, less valuable or scenic site in town to accommodate more retirees, specifically those priced out of the local rental market.
Both sides have obtained legal opinion in anticipation of a potential standoff.
“Legally they can’t force us to move,” a resident speaking on behalf of the retirees told the Sunday Times.
“The average age of our group is about 80, and there are people there who are 94. Many people sold their houses on the promise that this is where they will stay till they die. You reach a certain age when you think that ‘this is where I will make my last stand’.”
In February residents were shocked to discover that Rotary planned to move them to McMillan House, a retirement complex on the opposite side of town where the units are 45m² — less than half the size of their homes now. Macmillan House appeared to be in a state of disrepair during a visit this week.
Residents believe it was their benefactor’s intention to use the coastal land as a retirement zone. “Selling the property would nullify Mollergren’s legacy,” said one.
Rotary, however, says funds from the sale would enable it to help more elderly residents left stranded by rampant property prices and rentals. Instead of 30 retirees on prime coastal land, Mollergren’s legacy could benefit at least double that number elsewhere, said Rotary.
Residents, while understandably anxious about a potential move, should hopefully not wish to deprive future generations of much-needed help, said Gerry Henny, chair of Mollergren Homes NPC, which owns and manages the property in terms of a memorandum and articles approved by Mollergren.
“The need for such accommodation is growing exponentially, and we are driven to extend this generous legacy to as many elderly individuals as possible, by unlocking the significant value of the real estate to achieve this goal,” said Henny.
“As the need grows, we have a social obligation to reconsider the utilisation of the asset value to assist more people. Our intentions are both honourable and ambitious,” he said.
The memorandum entitled the company to sell the property “in a way that aligns with its mission and financial sustainability”. All funds realised from the future sale would by ring-fenced for elderly accommodation purposes only. The sale, which is being negotiated, is also conditional on finding suitable alternative accommodation for residents, said Henny.
The alternative site would allow the building of a clinic — a key element of Mollergren’s original site plan.
Henny confirmed MacMillan House had been mooted as a possible site for upgraded units. “However, this was only one possibility, and other options have since emerged.”
Rotary is a volunteer organisation involved in community upliftment projects.
Mollergren Park residents face an uncertain future, but those at MacMillan House face a more immediate threat.
Their property, owned by an affordable-housing provider, is being sold to an entity that intends selling off the units in a sectional title scheme. Tenants do not have life rights and survive on state pensions.
“I'm in touch with one tenant who is 86, [who] has been there for 19 years and has nowhere to go,” said Jane Day, a Hermanus estate agent whose parents were also tenants. “He would be happy to have a room to sleep, somewhere to shower and some money over for food, but he can’t find that anywhere in Hermanus because nobody wants to take on somebody older than 70,” said Day.
The Hermanus Ratepayers and town mayor have been appraised of the Mollergren standoff.
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