There is an American saying, “You can’t fight City Hall and win!” There is also an ancient legend of a pipe-smoking pirate named Jan Van Hunks who challenged a sinister stranger to a pipe smoking competition on the slopes of Table Mountain. They smoked for days until the stranger gave in and Van Hunks was…
Press release from Groote Schuur hospital
Issued from the Groote Schuur Hospital Facility Board Date 21st August 2021, 1300 Re: Disrespectful and attacking comments made towards our staff As the entrusted and elected community representatives on the Groote Schuur Hospital Facility Board, we distance ourselves from all the utterances made by a small group of community members who have gathered at…
OBSID safety report – July 2021
OBSID safety report – July 2021
Cape Town’s heritage for sale: Brownwashing The River Club
If greenwashing is disinformation disseminated to present an environmentally responsible public image, what the developers of The River Club project are engaging in might be called brownwashing — falsely presenting themselves as promoters of indigenous rights. Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust claims “the majority of the Cape’s Khoi and San leaders and representatives” are in support…
Indigenous land dispute dogs Amazon’s Africa expansion
DURBAN, Aug 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Over 500 years ago, South Africa’s indigenous Khoi and San population fought off a Portuguese attack in one of the first, and most successful, anti-colonial battles in Africa. Today, some descendants of the Khoi and San view U.S. retail giant Amazon’s attempts to build an Africa headquarters on…
Before the flood: What’s really going on at the River Club, and why it’s in the wrong place
While Cape Town competes for global investment, and sustainable development is needed to drive inclusive economic growth and social and spatial transformation, the controversial River Club mixed-use development is in the wrong place. Here’s why. The controversy around the recently approved River Club development in Observatory, Cape Town has involved a dispute over whose version…
What the LLPT and Amazon think of a National Heritage Site: ripe for ‘Corporate Plunder’
9 AUG 2021 — Notwithstanding the fact that Heritage Western Cape recently identified the Two Rivers Urban Park as a likely National Heritage Resource, the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT) are wasting no time in getting concrete onto the ground as soon as possible. The picture above shows just what they think of this National…
We Go to Court!
2 AUG 2021 — Press Release – Monday 2 August 2021: Goringhaicona Khoi-Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council and Observatory Civic Association serve notice on the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust and the City of Cape Town and Western Cape government departments that have approved the River Club redevelopment Today, the Cape Town High Court issued our papers…
Help Obs get vaccinated
WESTERN CAPE NOW THIRD WAVE EPICENTRE AS DAILY INFECTIONS OVERTAKE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY – Tuesday 3 August 2021 Many people at high risk still need to be vaccinated. Please help OCA get everyone vaccinated who needs it. If you are undocumented or do not have an ID, you WILL be able to get vaccinated….
Grant Two Rivers site heritage status
Cape Town – Heritage Western Cape (HWC) says the Two Rivers Urban Park (TRUP) area should be assessed for Grade I heritage status. Grade I heritage resources are exceptional and considered to be of national significance, and are identified and managed by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). This follows discussions held with interested…