Pastor John Anosike claims he had been blindsided by news that the City was considering a second bidder, despite claiming he had won the R135 million bid for the Good Hope Centre.

This came after Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, in an interview with Radio 786, advised that the winning bidder, referred to as a “church”, did not have the financial means to afford it.

READ MORE: Church loses bid for Good Hope Centre, Muslim institution now being considered – Smile 90.4FM

Anosike shared an email sent to the Mayor’s office last week, in which he noted that his church had not received any official communication from the City stating that its bid had been rejected or that it did not meet the requirements for the sale.

“St John Holdings (Pty) Ltd, together with New World Faith Ministries, wishes to place on record that we are unaware of any official communication from the City confirming these assertions. Throughout this process, we have engaged with the City in good faith and have continued to cooperate with all due diligence and compliance requests,” read the e-mail.

Anosike, CEO of St John Holdings, said they had been waiting on feedback from the City on when to finalise the sale.

Now, Anosike is seeking clarity on Hill-Lewis’ comments, the status of the Good Hope Centre’s sale, and an urgent meeting with all the relevant parties.

“We have made significant financial, legal, and administrative commitments in pursuit of this acquisition… Consequently, we find it difficult to reconcile the reported public statements with our ongoing engagement with the City, particularly in the absence of any formal communication addressed to us.”

Meanwhile, Anosike further highlighted the potential harm in referring to the church as a “Nigerian church”, especially considering current xenophobic tensions in the country.

“Should the church succeed in acquiring the Good Hope Centre, no portion of the property would belong to Nigeria. The Good Hope Centre will remain a South African property, situated in South Africa and intended to serve the people and communities of South Africa,” read Anosike’s social media post.