A matric certificate lies in a pile of other materials in a room in the condemned Ritz Hotel in Sea Point. In another corner is a fire fighter certificate. Under an old duvet cover is a job rejection letter.
During Covid the once glamourous Ritz Hotel was taken over by hijackers, alleged prostitutes, drug dealers and… an 88-year-old woman who walked 17 flights of steps a day to go to ‘her’ abandoned room in the building.
A bulding, that even without water and electricity, completely rundown, and with almost no maintenance over the years, still boasts the best views in the city.
It’s no wonder then that there is an offer of close to R300 million on the table for it by a foreign hotel consortium – not Dutch, not Spanish, not French, not even from Europe, as has been widely reported.
They have almost signed the deal, says Bruce Hendricks, MD of Hendricks Harmse Attorneys, one of the representatives of the owners and whose company is managing the Ritz Hotel building.
It could be a done deal by Friday, he says. Or not. “Let’s say it is about 80% there.”
The present owners – the Hurwitz and Roffey families – have been in no rush to sell the building.
In one of the biggest evictions, Hendricks and his team were able to get the hijackers out of the building in 2022 leaving the place ready for a new owner – and bringing down the crime level in that end of Sea Point substantially, say some.
He says while there has been a lot of interest to buy the building over the years, the present contenders have been the most serious.
Rising higher than most buildings in the hood – at 23 storeys – a walkabout inside yesterday revealed shattered dreams with glimmers of hope of a restoration to awaken its former glory days.
You can’t use the lift, so be prepared to climb 23 flights of stairs to be able to view the once glam revolving restuarant at the top. And you had best watch your step, even some of the marble stairs at the grand entrance hall are broken. The floors are strewn with bird feathers with some water puddles.
Wallpaper with a quote from Nelson Mandela – who stayed at The Ritz after his release from Victor Verster Prison in 1990 – is half crumpled. “I walked out the door that led to my freedom… ”
The hotel has some legendary stories around it.
Yet, even in its eeriness – dark passageways, concrete steps up 23 flights – you still gasp when you enter the once revolving restaurant on the highest floor: the views stretch across every angle of Sea Point.
“I get many letters from people with stories about the hotel,” says Hendricks. One man said he was conceived at the hotel, another recalls proposing at the restuarant. On social media old Sea Pointers have been reminiscing.
It’s an estate agents dream, well it will be once it is revamped: Sweeping 360 views, conference facilities, a pool area, a restaurant. However the building lacks balconies, and while some windows are broken, we heard that because of strong winds, some of the windows were made not to open.
Like the Titanic of Sea Point – except not underground – tables and blue chairs are placed as though ready for business in the restuarant. On the floor lies an old invitation for a soft launch still in the time when Nicky van der Walt and his company had big dreams and a R120-million revamp in its pocket. Before the Cape Town High Court ordered Van de Walt and his company to vacate the building in July 2018, effectively halting the reopening.
Every floor has a “Do Not Enter Sign – floor condemned” on it.
Dead birds, abandoned fast food boxes, an energy drink, an empty packet of cigarettes are strewn around the buiding.
But there also hints of the glamour.
Past floor 20 things start looking up. Beautiful marble, gold gilded tables, stunning bar areas, bathrooms with leopard wallpaper. It was these floors that apparently had a bit of a revamp by Van de Walt. The pool deck is stunning, with views and ample places where once people lounged. Although the pool is half empty and the water bright green, it is still modern in its look.
The consortium who buys the Ritz will, however, need imagination to look past the decay, and they will need deep pockets for a proper renovation.
The security guard Asive Kantyi, used to running up and down 23 floors, is our tour guide. “So tell us Asive,” I ask . “If it’s not the Europeans, if its not the Saudis or the Egyptians… who is buying the place? Is it people from Dubai or China?” He just gives his usual disarming smile.
Hendricks joins us at the old pool deck. “All will be revealed soon enough,” he says.
Watch this space
