Durban - Top Gear Festival organisers have downplayed claims by the eThekwini Municipality that there is a looming legal dispute between the two parties that appears to have severed what was once a good relationship.
Top Gear Live’s chief operations officer, James Cooke-Priest, said his disappointment emanated from the “success and profile the annual event has raised for the city, domestically and internationally”.
He said there was “currently no legal dispute” between the organisers and the city.
“The initial agreement in July was cordial,” he said. “No BEE issues have ever been raised previously.
“We are compliant and have programmes in place which exceed basic requirements.”
NO ADDITIONAL DEMANDS
He also denied that the Top Gear Festival had made additional demands “over and above what was agreed last year”.
“The return on investment delivered by the festival has widely been celebrated,” he said.
City manager S’bu Sithole said this week that the municipality was responding to a letter of demand from Top Gear attorneys for “breach of contract”.
This followed a sudden announcement by the organisers that the event would no longer be hosted in the city.
This was after funds dried up - with the municipality’s main partner, the provincial Economic Development and Tourism Department, apparently not interested in this year’s instalment.
Provincial economic development and tourism department spokesman Bheko Madlala has ignored media enquiries.
The Mercury