Despite gaining approval from the South African authorities for a spiraling 70,000 proposed office, the US Conglomerate, Amazon might just be about to wipe away years of ancestral heritage for the Khoi San people. The Khoi San descendants are calling for a reversal of that approval on grounds that their unique heritage will be completely wiped out.
Alongside some local residents, the Observatory Civic Association (OCA) has written to the Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust (LLPT) with the intention of challenging the development in court. They also question the timing and the landscaping decision on grounds that the site will be built over a 100-year flood line.
The site was protected by a two-year heritage designation that has now expired in April 2020. The development was also reportedly approved by a majority of the province’s indigenous people. It is unclear if the opposing locals have a strong enough precedent to challenge the new development.
The land in question is where the Khoi indigenous people defended their land against the Portuguese, in their battle against colonial powers. The developers have however promised to build a cultural centre which will be managed by the indigenous group, a medicinal garden, a hiking trail as well as an open-air amphitheatre.