Members of the Western Cape First Nations Collective (WCFNC) celebrated the breaking of the ground of the First Nations Heritage and Media Centre in a sod-turning ceremony held at the Riverlands development in Observatory last Wednesday March 20.
The First Nations Heritage and Media Centre is part of a R4.6 billion mixed-used development by Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust (LLPT) which would consist of office blocks, shops, flats and an indigenous-culture centre. American Fortune 500 company, Amazon, will be the anchor tenant of the property once development has been completed.
Around 50 guests which included members of the first nations, the developers along with Premier Alan Winde and Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis were in attendance at the event held at the Riverlands development site, which was formerly known as the River Club. There was also a cultural dance performed by the South Roots International group from Kuils River.
Chairperson of the WCFNC, Chief Zenzile Khoisan, says this partnership with the LLPT allowed his organisation which consists of many indigenous groups to end the endless trivalisation of their narrative.
“By joining hands with a willing partner we are allowed to demonstrate that we have a culture, we have the language, we have a heritage centre which will celebrate the best of our heritage, we will bring out the history that was buried,” he says.
Chief Khoisan says this heritage centre will not only be for the current generation but also for the generations to follow.
“We will show that the people who were once eviscerated have got a culture,” he said
Mayor Hill-Lewis said it was a historic moment as it would be the first standalone heritage site that celebrates the first nations group even though it is recognised in the Cape Town National Museum and the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng.
“The design is the result of extensive public participation and collaboration between the developers and WCFNC,” he says,
He added: “Not only will it be a space that celebrates the first nations culture, it will be a reminder that this development could bring job creation, ecological investment and cultural preservation together.”
Premier Winde says this new heritage centre is about honouring the heritage and the past.
“We are the melting pot in the southern tip of Africa, this is about a recognition of the people of the past and a space where we are going to create opportunities for the future in telling the stories that the children can understand,” he said.
In an unsigned statement, the LLPT said they were proud.
“The centre represents a first of its kind facility being built to promote South African culture, history and heritage as the result of a partnership between a private sector developer and a collective of South Africa’s First Nations groupings,” the statement said.
While it was a momentous occasion for the WCFNC and the developers, this had been a long journey as various parties were contesting the development of the land since 2016. It came to an end last July when one of the parties opposing the development, the Observatory Civic Association (OCA) conceded defeat in its campaign to stop the multi-billion rand River Club development. (“Final chapter in River Club battle”, Southern Suburbs Tatler, July 6, 2023)
OCA chairperson, Professor Leslie London, says many organisations opposed the development, including environmental groups, indigenous councils and social justice activists.
“On grounds that the development was bad for the environment, irrevocably destroyed the irreplaceable intangible heritage and was poorly conceived as an urban space development,” he said.
He said it is a great tragedy that a vast amount of money was spent to ensure the review of the approvals could never be heard in court and the 22 Khoi and San councils and organisations who opposed the development could not tell the judge why the development is an insult to their heritage.
In an unsigned statement, Save Our Sacred Lands, which is a coalition of Khoisan groups opposed to the River Club development, says they rejected the publicity stunt of the sod-turning ceremony with the Cape Town mayor and the provincial government.
“This indigenous washing of environmental and epistemic cultural violence on the eve of Human Rights Day is a raw reminder of the colonial patterns of extraction with the aid of acquiescing chiefs and corrupted individuals claiming to represent the entire San and Khoi,” the statement said.
Paramount Chief Anthony Andrews of the Guriqua tribe says they are not part of the collective Khoisan group that supports the development.
“We are unhappy that the River Club is sold to a overseas company and we will be meeting with various first nations groups to discuss this matter,” he said.
Mr Andrews said that the WCFNC does not represent his tribe and he does not believe that the heritage centre is the right way to celebrate their culture.
