Insurer SA Eagle is taking the Johannesburg City Council to court in a bid to get back R30-million it forked out to rebuild the Wanderers Club, which burnt down in 2004.
Business Day reported on Tuesday that the firm contended the council was negligent in letting the historic building be destroyed by fire.
SA Eagle, insurer of the 70-year-old Wanderers clubhouse, approached the city last year after it paid R30-million to rebuild the club, claiming negligence.
Council sources say the action could stem from reports that a fire in the roof, which had not been properly extinguished, started up again later.
This suggested that inspection of the scene was insufficient.
At a closed meeting between emergency services and the public safety committee soon after the fire, issues such as understaffing of fire engines were raised.
Witnesses said none of the trucks arrived with the full four-man staff requirement.
SA Eagle group marketing manager Malini Merkofer-Naidoo said on Monday the insurer was applying for a court date.
”The pleadings from both sides have been filed, and all that remains is for a court date to be set,” she said.
No settlement proposal had been made by the city, which continues to deny negligence. — Sapa