Capetonians turned out in force to join the protest march on Sunday from Hout Bay to the proposed site of a two-storey multi-million rand toll plaza and luxury office block for toll company Entilini on Chapman’s Peak Drive, the famous scenic route through Table Mountain National Park.
Some brought their children and dogs, and a few brought their skateboards for the long ride down again. Their placards expressed outrage at the idea of an office block in this World Heritage Site and the fact that taxpayers would be funding half of the R54 million luxury building for Entilini, already unpopular for its high toll fees.
A few creative placard examples: ‘OFFICES NOT INDIGENOUS 2 CHAPPIES’, ‘JOU MA SE TOL’, ‘SANPARKS SELLOUT SUCKS’, ‘MURRAY AND ROBBERS DON’T STEAL OUR LAND’, ‘TAKE A HIKE ENTILINI’ and ‘HELEN HELP US’. Others threatened not to vote for the DA if the office block went ahead.
‘Don’t touch Capetonians on their mountain,’ remarked one protester while watching the long procession of some 2000 marchers snaking up the road. Even Robin Carlisle, Transport and Public Works MEC who was there on behalf of the Western Cape Government to accept a memorandum from protesters, had to acknowledge that there was ‘an impressive’ number of people against the office block, rather than just Hout Bay Residents’ Association’s ‘Len Swimmer and three committee members’ – an accusation he had made during the week.
Speakers from civic organisations complained that their objections during the public consultation process had not been taken into account and angry Khoi leaders said they had not been consulted at all.
SanParks declined to send a representative, saying the project was not their responsibility, despite it being on land under their custodianship and it obviously could not get the go ahead without their support. ‘WHO WILL GUARD THE GUARDIANS?’ proclaimed a poster succinctly.
Len Swimmer pointed out that the ‘old quarry” earmarked for the building of the office park was not a quarry, but a large road cutting that could be rehabilitated for a picnic site. He was cheered when he said his organisation would go to court if necessary to get an interdict to stop the illegal alienation of national parks land.
There was ample office accommodation in Hout Bay, he said, and no reason to build on Chappies.
Add your name to the petition here www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-development-on-chappies/
To find out more, visit http://houtbay.org.za/
