By taking over large areas of land for the wealthy, such developments show disrespect for one of the most basic human rights - access to land, says a spokesman for the Guardians, Pam Booth. Such projects, she says, force landless people into increasingly smaller areas without proper access to essential services like running water and sanitation.
Booth, who also represents the South Cape Land Committee, is one of the co-ordinators of the September 24 Guardians march in Sedgefield to protest against the project.
Unprecedented opposition to the huge development is building up on the Garden Route.
The developers' plans call for 1,200 residential stands, 300 timeshare units, two 18-hole golf courses, polo fields, an equestrian centre, an 80-room hotel, a 120-home retirement village, a marina, sports facilities and an airstrip. There will also be dams, a water storage reservoir, fuel storage facilities and sewage works.
The former head of the National Prosecutions Authority, Bulelani Ngcuka, has acquired a majority stake in the proposed project through his Amabubesi Investments Co.
Amabubesi bought a 51% share in April this year from Gauteng-based Steyn Fourie.
The Guardians are protesting because, they say, such developments deny the public access to natural resources, and pay no regard to the ecological functioning of the area. They also distort employment prospects for local residents.
Eastern Province Herald
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
