The River Club development — when the letter of the law clashes with ecological wisdom
Cormac Cullinan – 7 July 2022 The River Club development in Cape Town illustrates how developments that keep us on an unviable trajectory continue to be authorised. Even applying to court to review those decisions doesn’t solve the problem because courts will only intervene to stop unlawful decisions, not unwise ones. The Liesbeek Leisure Park…
No! In Their Own Words: What indigenous people against the River Club development have to say
Protestors during the Liesbeek Action Campaign against Amazon River Club Development on November 12, 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa. It is reported that indigenous and heritage protection and conservation groups with concerned residents have slammed the development by Amazon citing that it is a destruction of a sacred heritage site that deeply violates climate…
Vavi slams Amazon for staying silent in row over new HQ in Cape Town
The controversial River Club development in Cape Town. File photo. Image: Esa Alexander Bobby Jordan – 22 June 2022 Veteran trade unionist Zwelinzima Vavi has slammed the world’s biggest company, Amazon, for its “deafening silence” on Cape Town’s River Club development dispute. The e-commerce and IT giant is scheduled to be the anchor tenant at…
Amazon plans to expand into South Africa in early 2023 – leaked documents
Business Insider – 20 June 2022 Amazon plans to launch its online marketplace in 5 new countries by early next year, even as it dials back parts of its retail business in the US, Insider has learned. The moves will likely mean more competition for local e-commerce companies, including Jumia, which operates across Africa, and…
LLPT can’t buy truth even though they try
Professor Leslie London, chairperson of Observatory Civic Association, and Tauriq Jenkins, high commissioner of Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council We write in response to the advertorial (“LLPT files urgent leave to appeal to the SCA against the legally flawed, job killing River Club interdict,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, June 16). The Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust…
Talking points for a propaganda campaign – Liesbeek Action Campaign
Paternalism, ethnocide, epistemicide: Talking points for a propaganda campaign 16 May 2022 The Liesbeek Action Campaign condemns a seemingly coordinated effort to spread misinformation about objections to the development at the River Club, Observatory, Cape Town. Several personalities with ties to the Democratic Alliance and the Institute for Race Relations have voiced their opinions on…
Update on the River Club development
Dear friends and supporters I am writing to you to update you on the River club development 1. The Court process: – As you know, Judge Patricia Goliath delivered a groundbreaking judgement on March 18th to halt the construction at the River Club site pending the High Court review of the rezoning and Environmental Authorisations…
The Liesbeek River – the ecological (and heritage) disaster is in its infill
7 MAY 2022 — It’s become commonplace for detractors of our campaign to repeat the developer’s claims that the Liesbeek River is polluted and an ecological disaster. This is useful to the developers because they can claim that their burial of the original course of the river to the west of the site and the…
Follow the Money and find out why this was approved
29 APR 2022 — Firstly, an appeal. We are completely reliant on Crowd Funding to cover our legal costs. If everyone who signed this petition was willing to donate R20 (or $1), we would be able to fight our court battle on an even footing. So, please help us fund our legal costs by making…
Heritage and the Environment – to make it matter, we need your donation!
27 APR 2022 — Today was Freedom Day, commemorating our first elections under a democratic South Africa. Today we held our second Freedom Day walk to affirm that the sacred heritage and precious environmental wetlands of the Liesbeek are not for sale. Rich and powerful people in our city think they can secure administrative decisions…
Why is this land so important to the San and Khoi?
Chief Autshumao explains: “At the end of the day, it’s this thing of land dispossession, which is still happening, which is still continuing. Because as a spiritual nation, us being the Aboriginal Indigenous sovereign nation people, we see this land is sacred, and there are certain places that are very sacred like all high places…
Meaningful Consultation: Not in LLPT’s vocabulary (unless opportunistic)
14 APR 2022 — Today, Judge Patricia Goliath considers the four applications (from the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT), the City of Cape Town, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) and the First Nations Collective (FNC)) for leave to appeal the groundbreaking interdict she granted to stop the construction at the River…
The LLPT Appeal: “Imagined” is how they understand intangible heritage
20220406_SCT&PW_Invite Mun_WC Prov Trans Infr Bill 10 APR 2022 — The developers, Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT), applied for leave to Appeal on 28 March against Judge Patricia Goliath’s interdict ruling that they may not proceed with construction on the River Club site until the High Court reviews the rezoning and Environmental Authorisation decisions (by…
Amazon: The behemoth of corporate power
Leslie London – 23 MAR 2022 Amazon, the capitalist behemoth, takes its name from the narratives in Greek mythology of women warriors of the ancient world. Their name was later linked to the Amazon River which, as the story goes, was named after indigenous women in the region who were strong warriors, in the tradition…
Stop right there! Judge Goliath grants our interdict against the River Club re-development
19 MAR 2022 — Incredible. Amazing. Day 56 after the hearing and Judge Goliath issued her findings – in no uncertain terms. She interdicted the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT) from continuing with any construction at the River Club site until (a) there is meaningful engagement and consultation with all affected First Nations peoples (not…
We continue to campaign for human rights
18 MAR 2022 — Day 56. That’s 8 weeks since the end of the court proceedings which considered our application for an urgent interdict. We are still awaiting the Judge’s decision which we have been told is likely to be issued next week. But as many of you will be aware, Judge Goliath was the…
Will SAHRA protect this river from further butchery? No time to delay!
8 MAR 2022 — Day 46 following our interdict. We still await the Judge’s decision. The infill of the original River Course continues. Concrete mixers continue to barrel in and barrel out of the River Club entrance. We heard today that the Judge asked the legal representative for the amicus curiae in the case (Legal…
Rivers as People – The Liesbeek River is Being Murdered While Judge Goliath Decides
27 FEB 2022 — Day 37 after the end of the urgent interdict hearing. We are still awaiting the Judge’s decision. The developers have now fenced off the remnant of the original course of the Liesbeek River and have started proceeding to infill it. The image above is devastation and devastating… READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
While the Judge makes her decision, muddying narratives will emerge
21 FEB 2022 — Day 30 after the end of our High Court hearing and we still await Judge Goliath’s decision. We know it’s a complex case and needs a lot of careful consideration of a wide range of facts. But while we wait, the concrete continues pouring. Amazon’s HQ building is now three floors…
We still await the Judge’s decision while the Vultures circle the River Club
6 FEB 2022 — It has been two weeks since the end of the High Court hearings for our interdict application to stop the ongoing construction at the River Club. Judge Goliath has yet to make her decision. We are hopeful that the delay is because, in order to make the best decision possible, she…
Our Court Interdict will be livestreamed!
17 JAN 2022 — Today we saw the appearance of poles along the Liesbeek signalling that the developers are likely to close off the original Liesbeek river from public access, presumably as a prelude to infilling the river course. The interdict hearing could therefore not have arrived a day too soon. We hope the judge…
We stand for the truth and we stand for justice
16 JAN 2022 — On Wednesday 19th January, the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council and the Observatory Civic Association will be in the High Court seeking an interdict to stop the construction at the River Club which threatens to irrevocably destroy the intangible heritage of the sacred site and contravene numerous environmental sustainability policies….
Concrete cannot be our future
22 JAN 2022 — On Friday 21st, the court heard the last arguments in our urgent interdict application to stop the River Club re-development. The judge was much more interventive with the legal representatives for the City and the First Nations Collective (FNC). In particular, she asked probing questions about who constitutes the world of…
Amazon – the LLPT’s ‘partner’?
20 JAN 2022 — Today was the second day of the court hearings for our Interdict seeking to halt the ongoing construction at the River Club. It was filled with presentation by Counsel for the developers, LLPT, and by counsel for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning who awarded the Environmental Authorisation, over-riding…
First day of the court case seeking an interdict
19 JAN 2022 — Today was our first day in court. After a long delay, it was a relief to get to court. Our legal team was led by Advocate Alan Dodson because the advocate originally scheduled to represent us for the November dates, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, was unavailable for January. We needed to get into…
We are not optimistic; rather, we are prisoners of hope
18 JAN 2022 — Today our petition blasted through the 67 000 mark and is continuing to rise as we prepare for our days in court, starting tomorrow, 19th January. Jeff Bezos is not the only person experiencing rocket power. The difference is our petition is rocketing upward because it is driven by people power,…
SAME COLONISTS, DIFFERENT SHIPS
SEE PRESS RELEASE HERE TOP 12 LINKS ABOUT THE AMAZON SITUATION
Ward Elections, your councillor and promises of prosperity, DA style
31 OCT 2021 — It’s Election Day tomorrow. We vote for our local councillors. The role of the local councillor is critical to South Africa’s democracy. As outlined in the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, which lays the basis for a developmental form of local government that breaks with past exclusionary policies under apartheid, “A…
So who asked for and who approved a golf course in the first place?
26 OCT 2021 — One of the favourite tricks of the parties desperate to see the River Club redevelopment go ahead is to portray opposition to the development as wanting to preserve the golf course that was on the site. Let’s be clear about some facts here: 1. The entity known as the River Club…
Days of reckoning – we are in court November 24 and 25!!
24 OCT 2021 — After having to cross many legal hurdles over the past few months, the Judge President of the Western Cape High Court confirmed that our interdict to stop the development at the River Club will be heard on the 24th and 25th November. This will be followed later by part B of…
Development of dodgy tricks at the River Club
30 June 2021 by Steve Kretzmann A defamatory letter to author MacKenzie Scott, whose ex-husband was Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, was attached to a complaint recently sent to the BackaBuddy crowdfunding platform the Observatory Civic Association is using to raise funds for its legal challenge to the R4.5bn River Club development. The Observatory Civic Association…
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…
The Two Rivers Urban Park is of National Heritage Significance!
23 JUL 2021 — Yesterday, the Council of Heritage Western Cape (HWC) considered our application for Provincial Heritage Status (called Grade II status) for the Two Rivers Urban Park (TRUP). Our application had been pending for more than a year, during which time the developers secured approvals to proceed with the redevelopment, which we are now going…
Our application for Provincial Heritage Status is finally heard
21 JUL 2021 — In February 2020, the OCA, along with the Goringhiacona Khoi-Khoi Traditional Council, and the Two Rivers Urban Park Association (TRUPA) applied to have the Two Rivers Urban Park declared a provincial heritage site. This was step was prompted by the extraordinary heritage of the entire area, which includes the Liesbeek River, the…
A Social Compact must be about a public, not private, benefit
24 JUN 2021 — Today the LLPT announced news of an event featuring a so-called Social Compact between the developers and the First Nations Collective (FNC). This is not surprising though it is rather illogical. A Social Compact is an implicit agreement among the members of a society to co-operate for social benefits, for example by…
Not a Rubbish Dump, Jody.
23 JUN 2021 — In March 2020, Jody Aufrichtig claimed in a letter to the Cape Argus newspaper that “The River Club site is in fact severely under-utilised, closed to the public and degraded, with some parts being used as a rubbish dump.” Well, the LLPT, as legally required to do, have done a faunal search and…
The OCA appeals the LLPT Water Use License for the River Club Redevelopment
21 JUN 2021 — Today, the Observatory Civic Association lodged an appeal against the Water Use License issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation for the re-development of the River Club. Our appeal was lodged with the Water Tribunal under a section of the National Water Act, which provides Interested and Affected Parties the…
We should trust the science, Jody – but all of the science
20 JUN 2021 — Today our update is focused on science and pollen. Here’s why … Jody Aufrichtig, spokesperson for LLPT, the River Club developers, published a recent Right to Reply in the Daily Maverick, dismissing criticisms of the re-development by claiming that we should “trust the science” and “trust the experts”. But what Jody really…
The People have spoken – more than 50 000 of them!
16 JUN 2021 — Today the people’s voice was heard in Cape Town. The Voice of the Goringhaicona. The Voice of the !Aman Traditional Authority. The Voice of the Kai Korana Trans frontier. The Voice of the A|XARRA Restorative Justice Forum. The Voice of the Salt River Heritage Society. The Voice of the BoKaap Civic Association. The…
50000+ Voices Matter: Stop the River Club Development!
14 JUN 2021 — Incredible! Jeff Bezos may be blasting off into outer space but our petition rocketed up to over 50 000 signatures in the past few days. I guess it must surely now get through to Jody Aufrichtig that a lot of people are opposed to his development. Quite a lot of people. I say that…
World Environment Day: Is the Liesbeek River Valley is under threat of Ecocide?
5 JUN 2021 — It’s World Environment Day, a day when we are supposed to encourage worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. But it’s a day when we are having to raise funds (please donate at our fund raising site) to go to the High Court to get our authorities to take environmental and heritage protections…
Amazon on the Liesbeek: A tale of two rivers
23 MAY 2021 — It’s now clear that the driving force behind the River Club development is Amazon, the company whose profits have tripled during the COVID-19 epidemic. Since there are huge profits to be made from the River Club developments, it is money that is dictating how this development is being pushed through. Faced with…
The Amazonification of the Liesbeek River Valley
9 MAY 2021 — It’s now no secret that Amazon are the driver behind the River Club development. Pro-development groups gush over the fact and welcome Amazon’s investment in Cape Town, but never stop to ask why Amazon has turned a sacred heritage site and environmentally sensitive floodplain into an investment opportunity when there are…
Two sides of preserving heritage and history – whose version counts?
2 MAY 2021 — When the fierce fires swept across Cape Town and devastated irreplaceable texts and materials stored in the Jagger reading room at UCT’s library on Sunday 18th April (see the image above), there was a national and international outpouring of concern at the senseless destruction of our heritage and history. There was…
A moment in history – Truth, Reconciliation and Justice for Indigenous peoples in South Africa
27 APR 2021 — Today, a momentous day unfolded when the Salt River Heritage Society (SRHS), the Observatory Civic Association (OCA), the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Council, the Two River Urban Park Association (TRUPA), and the Oude Molen Eco Village joined forces to commemorate the deep spiritual history of the Two Rivers Urban Park area,…
Amazon: What is it that Jody has to hide?
6 OCT 2020 — It’s now public knowledge that the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust hopes to have Amazon as their anchor tenant for their R 4 billion in-the-floodplain 150 000 m2 development at the River Club. But for someone who claims to have “always approached this project with maximum transparency”, there are some things that are rather puzzling…