The Oedasoa Cochoqua Royal Kingdom, a Khoi-San group, and a collective of land activists have filed an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court to halt the planned auction of 50 City of Cape Town properties, including the Good Hope Centre.
A group of residents, including Khoi-San community members and political party representatives, gathered outside the Good Hope Centre this morning to protest.
The City plans to release about 50 other municipal properties, totalling roughly 282,000m², to “unlock economic potential, attract private investment, and create jobs, while preserving key heritage elements”.
The auction process will be overseen by Claremart Group on Thursday 26 February.
According to Joseph Noel, Senior High Commissioner of the Royal Kingdom, the group owns a vast tract of land across the Western and Northern Cape.
The land includes the Good Hope Centre site.
Joseph said the disposal of land within ancestral territory without structured Indigenous engagement raises serious constitutional concerns.
“We don’t have any information that the City purchased the land. According to us that is ancestral land of the Khoi-Khoi people. That pocket of land is our land; it’s in our tribal areas where our smaller clans stay. We have decided to take back the land.”
Joseph claimed they informed the City of their intention to engage and expressed a willingness to find a resolution. But he claims this has fallen on deaf ears.
“We have decided if that is their attitude then we will go to court to get an interdict. We will see what is the outcomes of the application that went to court.”
The Kingdom is calling for:
• The establishment of a Structured Indigenous Land Engagement Forum;
• Development of a Framework for Indigenous Land Participation; and
• Alignment of municipal processes with international Indigenous restitution standards, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as recognized under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Joseph stressed that they are not opposing development but want constitutional inclusion and meaningful participation in decisions affecting ancestral lands.
Certain political parties have also expressed their support for the cause.
Suzette Little, GOOD Party deputy secretary-general, claimed the City is selling public land instead of prioritising affordable housing or addressing the housing crisis.
The City previously stated that releasing the iconic Good Hope Centre precinct for redevelopment is a strategic move aimed at unlocking among other “economic potential” and leveraging private-sector investment to boost job creation.
James Vos, Mayco member for economic growth, said in a media statement by releasing this site for revitalisation and redevelopment, they are giving the private sector the opportunity to develop a “vibrant mixed-use precinct”.
“Heritage elements, including the dome, are preserved through the conditions of sale, while the surrounding land can be transformed into multiple uses, unlocking significant economic and spatial value for the inner city,” explained Vos.
