Beneath our feet is an ecosystem so astonishing that it tests the limits of our imagination. It’s as diverse as a rainforest or a coral reef. We depend on it for 99% of our food, yet we scarcely know it. Soil. Under one square metre of undisturbed ground in the Earth’s mid-latitudes (which include the…
Day Five: Monetising waste gives communities an extra incentive to recycle
Julia Evans – 6 May 2022 The Skhaftin Bus is a mobile grocery store that aims to provide low-cost food and promote plastic-free shopping. On the fifth day of its trip through South Africa, the bus stopped at the Bontebok Primary School in Swellendam, Western Cape and met with the solid waste and environmental manager…
Molo Songololo still fights for children’s rights 28 years after doing its bit for section 28 of the Constitution
Marianne Merten – 27 April 2022 From the police officer handling a stolen car report to a radio talk show host, Molo Songololo’s work with children and teenagers and its iconic magazine have made an impact — and continues to do so. It’s the 50-cent books we were waiting for. It was a real programme…
Khoi and San win round 2 in River Club battle
Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath had in March granted the interdict, saying that the fact that the development has economic benefits can never override the fundamental rights of the First Nations People – which was under threat if the development was allowed to proceed. This was after the Observatory Civic Association (OCA) and the Goringhaicona…
Victory!!!
PRESS RELEASE Our Constitution stands up to the Test again – Judge Goliath dismisses leave to appeal on the River Club interdict Today Judge Goliath issued another clear and firm judgement that reflects the primacy of our Constitution in determining the validity of administrative decisions. She dismissed the applications by the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust…
Recording of the appeal hearing
Click here to download a copy of the recording of the hearing.
Our past is being destroyed
The Southern Suburbs Tatler – 21 April 2022 Thomas Johnson, Belthorne Estate Monica Sutherland’s letter (“River Club development will destroy heritage,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, April 14) is spot on. She asks the key question about development: why here? This is relevant when other, perhaps more suitable, sites are available. For the developer it’s easy: tenants…
Working at Amazon Is Hazardous to Your Health
Alex N. Press – 19 April 2022 A new report shows just how dangerous it is to work at Amazon. Injury rates last year at Amazon warehouses were 20 percent higher than the already alarmingly high 2020 rate — and more than twice that of non-Amazon warehouses. Amazon’s workplace safety issues are getting worse, though…
Liesbeek Biodiversity Challenge
Just a reminder for those who wish to to participate in the Liesbeek Biodiversity Challenge for the City Nature Challenge 2022. Click here to find out more.
Turning a Canal into a River: Liesbeek, Cape Town
Click here to watch a YouTube video about an exciting project that shows how a canalised section of an urban river in Cape Town is being turned into a river that supports habitat, adds amenity, and involves local citizens, community organisations, Dutch Foreign Ministry, and students and staff from the Universities of Cape Town and…