Leopard Park Golf Club employees and caddies are spending sleepless nights after reports of possible retrenchments and the ultimate closure of the facility.

This is after the club’s holding company allegedly failed to account for its financial expenditures.

An investigations carried by an ad hoc committee established by the provincial standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) found that the company, Signal Development, failed to produce financial statements from 2007 until last year.

Among other woes, the committee was concerned about the assets of the entity and wanted to know the viability of selling it to private investors.

It was also concerned about the money obtained from the sales of erven in phase 1 and the current status of the phase 2 development that was never undertaken.

The club has employed 18 people on the greens including gardeners and has more than 100 caddies who all expressed shock at news of the facility’s possible closure.

“I’ve worked here since 1991 and have four children to look after,” said a 64-year-old gardener, Andries Modise from Tsetse village.

“My appeal to the government is to make plans to save our jobs and keep this club running, otherwise we will be unemployed and our families will starve.”

Eric Kekgaretswe, a caddy, said: “I have a child to look after depending on the money I get on days when the club is busy.

“Sometimes it’s dry and we sleep with empty stomachs. I’ve worked here since 1992 and we ask the government to save this club.”

A club committee member who declined to be named said: “The situation is bad and we are worried because the club could shut down, followed with retrenchments.

“We will not give up but talk to the government for something to be done to sustain the club.”

Signal Development was incorporated by the erstwhile Bophuthatswana government that was the only shareholder in the company tasked to ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of the club.

Committee chairperson Mahlakeng Mahlakeng said it was regrettable because the company was not under any particular department in the province.

Scopa chairperson Hlomane Chauke said: “Heads are going to roll because the club is state owned.

“People used to make money from the sale of the land and we are going to serve them with notices to appear before us and account next week.”

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