Cape Town - Empty promises of jobs and construction contracts are among the reasons indigenous leader Prince Jacobus Titus says he pulled his support for the River Club redevelopment.
The Western Cape High Court is expected to deliver a decision on Wednesday on whether River Club developer, The Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT), is in contempt of court, after being hauled to court by activists when structural work at the site continued despite an interdict in place.
This was after Western Cape High Court Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath found that the fundamental rights of the First Nations People were under threat when she interdicted construction on the site pending review proceedings in March.
The Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council (GKKITC) and the Observatory Civic Association (OCA) launched the urgent application.
Titus is the oldest son of 89-year-old, Queen Katriena Esau who had recently been quoted in a statement by the First Nations Collective (FNC) as supporting the development - a claim Titus has refuted.
“The developer said if we can support them he would give our people jobs. Many of our people are unemployed so we did support the developer then we withdrew because the developer and the other guys of the collective, they lied to us about work. I promised so many of our people they would get jobs now they are angry at me because it never materialised.
“I had also requested a copy of the trust documents for months. When I eventually got to see it. I saw the San were not mentioned there. To start a trust there should have been meetings but we were not invited. In the beginning, the developer and I sat around a table and had discussions. However when I went there earlier this year, I was stopped at the gate and told I needed to make an appointment with Zenzile (Khoisan, of the FNC).”
Khoisan said: “One of the companies he put forward was appointed and had a sizable subcontract at River Club. The River Club is under extreme pressure by a selfish group in Observatory, as such the entire project is under threat. He is not an exclusive part of the thing - all other houses, when jobs become available they were informed and those who qualified were appointed.”
The LLPT said Ouma Katriena is the matriarch and leader of the Royal House and she has the cultural protocols to speak and make pronouncements for the Royal House.
“The LLPT cannot respond to the statements allegedly made by her other son Prince Jacobus Titus – based on hearsay - as well as vague and unfounded statements made by other activists. The LLPT is proud of the 6000 direct jobs and 19 000 indirect jobs that the development will generate.”
Meanwhile the Liesbeek Action Campaign added that they noted with “shock” the attempts by the FNC, which they said was supported by the LLPT, to spread misinformation and smear High Commissioner, Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council, Tauriq Jenkins.
Jenkins said: “The statements by Ouma Katriena and Chief Vaalbooi that have recently been published are both statements that have recently appeared on FNC letterheads and should be understood as part of a calculated campaign to discredit myself personally and the Goringhaicona organisationally. They have appeared after key members of San and |Xam Houses/Councils came out in support of our campaign, which was a big blow to the developer.”
“The strategies to smear and discredit campaign activists has been unrelenting. The simple fact is that 18 First Nation entities have submitted affidavits saying that the River Club development is an affront to the intangible heritage of First Nation groups, they do not support the FNC and they support the campaign against the development. That has enraged the LLPT who look to the FNC to take care of the issue for them.”
Cape Times