Dear Obs residents
You may well have read about the withdrawal of our attorneys from the High Court review of the River Club redevelopment and what you have read is probably not accurate or is frankly misinformation.
I am attaching a press release from the Liesbeek Action Campaign to clarify the situation.
It is true that our legal team, Cullinans and Associates, has had to withdraw but the primary reason is the proliferation of litigation coming from the developers and/or their proxies which has exhausted the capacity of Cullinans to act on our behalf. It has also meant that our fundraising has been outstripped by the demands of endless and spurious litigation.
However, a new legal team will take over the case.
We believe that this strategy is one deliberately intended to litigate us into submission. This strategy has, as Observatory residents know, been accompanied by various other underhand stunts, from rent-a-crowd protesters to anonymous leaflets and smear campaigns against our leadership.
While this is a temporary setback, which has affected our ability to contest the appeal, the case in its entirety is ongoing. We believe we have a strong case on review and will be concluding the appointment of our new legal representative shortly. We will definitely not be giving up, no matter the propaganda.
For that reason, we need public support more than ever before. We have embarked on a new crowdfunding campaign with support from IOL, to raise the funds we need to #StopAmazon and #MakeTheLiesbeekMatter. Please support us and donate to our campaign, visit www.liesbeek.org/donate
We urge every person who believes in in democracy, the environment, the rule of law, the fundamental rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples and justice to stand with us!
Thanks
Leslie London