Join us at the Cape High Court tomorrow, Friday 2nd September, as we have our case heard to interdict the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT), a private developer, from continuing to destroy the intangible heritage of the River Club - a sacred area – all in the name of squeezing millions of rands of profit from a flawed development on a sacred floodplain.
They have continued with building on site, despite a clear ruling by Deputy Judge President Goliath in March this year to halt construction until the authorisations for the development have been reviewed in Court. As a result, we were forced to take them to court to have them held in contempt of court. But we have been met with one bizarre turn of events after another that has delayed the contempt hearing for more than 6 weeks. Most notably, a group of people claiming to represent the Gorinhaicona appeared out of nowhere, supported by an attorney called Tim Dunn, telling the courts that the hearing could not take place because they now represent the Goringhaicona. This is plainly false.
And when it suited them to intervene urgently, they served a 540-page interdict on High Commissioner Tauriq Jenkins and Chief Aran of the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council demanding a response within 24 hours. Yet, once the contempt hearing was delayed and we sought this second interdict, Tim Dunn has yet to file his responding papers on the contempt matter, 15 days after he should have done so. Instead, he has found time to file yet another attempt to disrupt our interdict tomorrow on behalf of people who have no standing in this matter – but are only acting in ways that benefit the developers.
Because of the interference and meddling in matters internal to the GKKITC, we have filed our urgent application for an interdict tomorrow as the Observatory Civic Association alone, but with support confirmed in affidavits by the Southern African Khoi and San Kingdom Council, the First Indigenous Nations of Southern Africa (FINSA) and the Kai Korana Transfrontier Royal House, and with the full support of the true Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council. The application seeks an interim interdict until the much-postponed contempt matter can be heard. Imagine that we have to seek an interim interdict on an urgent basis because a matter keeps getting push off the court roll? This is lawfare, Stalingrad-style.
Our court action is intended to protect the fundamental rights of First Nations whose heritage rights are being trampled in the headlong stampede to get this monstrous building constructed as quickly as possible. The site is also environmentally sensitive and the development will destroy one of the last open green spaces in Cape Town.
Please join us at the Cape High Court if you can from 10am.
The fight to defend this site and what it could offer South Africa needs your support. Please help us fund these legal costs by contributing at our fundraising site.
Visit our website and follow the Liesbeek Action Campaign on twitter: @LiesbeekAction.
Make the Liesbeek Matter!