The Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (Wessa) has lost a Cape high court bid to obtain an interim interdict against the developers of the Pinnacle Point golf resort in Mossel Bay to stop irrigation of the golf course, pending the outcome of its application for a final interdict.

The court said those who had invested in the development by purchasing property would have been affected by such an order. Since they had not been joined as parties in the proceedings, the court could not grant the order.

Wessa wants to stop the irrigation of the golf course, claiming that it is situated on a cliff above important archaeological artefacts like caves. The excess water was damaging these.

But Pinnacle Point‘s lawyers have argued that the golf course was central to the development and that the grass would die if irrigation was brought to an end.

Justice Anton Veldhuizen said should the relief be granted, it might affect third parties who had not been given notice of the proceedings.

Source: The Herald