Case Law[2022] ZAWCHC 227South Africa
Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin and Others v Jenkins and Others In re: Observatory Civic Association and Another v Trustees for the time being of the Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust and Seven Others [2022] ZAWCHC 227; [2023] 1 All SA 110 (WCC); 2025 (4) SA 225 (WCC) (8 November 2022)
Judgment
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# South Africa: Western Cape High Court, Cape Town
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## Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin and Others v Jenkins and Others In re: Observatory Civic Association and Another v Trustees for the time being of the Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust and Seven Others [2022] ZAWCHC 227; [2023] 1 All SA 110 (WCC); 2025 (4) SA 225 (WCC) (8 November 2022)
Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin and Others v Jenkins and Others In re: Observatory Civic Association and Another v Trustees for the time being of the Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust and Seven Others [2022] ZAWCHC 227; [2023] 1 All SA 110 (WCC); 2025 (4) SA 225 (WCC) (8 November 2022)
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sino date 8 November 2022
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
(WESTERN
CAPE DIVISION, CAPE TOWN)
Case
Number: 12339/2022
&
Case
Number: 12994/2021
In
the matter between:
Goringhaicona
Khoi Khoin
First Applicant
Regent
Edmen Michael Hansen
Second Applicant
Chief
Shiraatz Mohammed
Third Applicant
Peter
Ludolph
Fourth Applicant
And
Tauriq
Jenkins
First Respondent
Delroque
Dextry Arendse
Second Respondent
Observatory
Civic
Association
Third Respondent
The
Trustees for the time being of
the
Fourth Respondent
Liesbeek
Leisure Properties Trust
Heritage
Western Cape
Fifth Respondent
City
of Cape
Town
Sixth Respondent
The
Director: Development Management
Seventh Respondent
(Region
1
),
Local Government,
Environmental
Affairs
&
Development
Planning,
Western Cape Provincial
Government
The
Minister for Local Government
Eighth Respondent
Planning,
Western Cape Provincial
Government
Chairperson
of the Municipal Planning
Ninth Respondent
Tribunal
of the City of Cape Town
Executive
Mayor, City of Cape Town
Tenth Respondent
Western
Cape First Nations Collective
Eleventh Respondent
In
re: The matter between:
Case
Number
12994/2021
Observatory
Civic Association and
First Applicant
Another
And
The
Trustees for the time being of the
First Respondent
Liesbeek
Leisure Properties Trust and
Seven
Others
JUDGMENT
ELECTRONICALLY DELIVERED
8
NOVEMBER 2020
Baartman,
J (Slingers and Lekhuleni JJ concurring)
[1]
This is an application for the rescission of the judgment of Goliath
DJP, dated 5 May 2022, case
number 12339/2022, and an appeal against
the same judgment, case number 12994/2021. Although cited in both
matters, Heritage Western
Cape did not partake in the litigation. We
heard both matters in the same hearing, as the following order
(the
order)
is the object of both:
'145.1 First Respondent
is interdicted from undertaking any further construction, earthworks,
or other works on erf 151832, Observatory,
Western Cape to implement
the River Club development as authorised by the environmental
authorisation issued in terms of the
National Environmental
Management Act, 107 of 1998
on 22 February 2021 and various
development permissions issued in terms of the City of Cape Town's
Municipal Planning By-Law, 2015
pending:
(a)
Conclusion of meaningful engagement and consultation with all
affected First Nations Peoples
as envisaged in the interim and final
comments of HWC.
(b)
The final determination of the review proceedings in Part B.
145.2 The three
applications to strike are dismissed.
145.3 There shall be no
order as to costs in the striking-out applications.
…’
[2]
The first applicant, the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin, and 3 others seek
rescission of the order on
the basis that it was induced by fraud in
that the first applicant had not authorised the litigation nor was it
opposed to the
development that forms the subject of both matters.
The applicants alleged that the first respondent
(Mr Jenkins)
had
committed the fraud in concert with some of its members. Only Mr
Jenkins opposed the rescission application, although he failed
to
file his opposing papers timeously. Belatedly, late afternoon on 10
October 2022, the day before the hearing, Mr Jenkins filed
an
answering affidavit, approximately 1 500 pages in length. The court
refused an application from the bar for the late admission
of the
lengthy affidavit that was commissioned at 14h00 on 10 October 2022.
An unsigned version of the lengthy affidavit was electronically
served on the parties early on 10 October 2022. Unsurprisingly, the
applicant opposed the condonation application.
[3]
We
concluded that, in the circumstances of this matter, Mr Jenkins'
explanation was unreasonable; it did not cover the full period
of
delay and it was not in the interest of justice to grant the
condonation application.
[1]
We
considered the following:
(a)
On 27 July 2022, the rescission application was set down for hearing
on an urgent basis.
An opposing affidavit attested to by Mr Leslie
London
(Mr London)
was filed that dealt only with urgency, not
the fraud allegations. At that hearing, Mr Jenkins, who appeared in
person, sought and
obtained an opportunity to file an answering
affidavit.
(b)
However, Mr Jenkins only filed his Notice of Intention to Oppose on
19 September 2022, 8
weeks after the urgent application had been
served on him. He proffered no explanation for that delay.
(c)
On 11 August 2022, Hlophe JP directed that the rescission application
should be heard together
with the appeal referred to above. Mr
Jenkins was present at that direction hearing. The Judge President
further directed that
the parties had to 'ensure that there were 3
sets of the record and that the file...in order, all...be done
timeously as the Judges
will need ample time to read... (as indicated
before, parties are to self-regulate in this regard)'.
(d)
On 22 August 2022, the applicants' attorney in correspondence
enquired when Mr Jenkins intended
to file his answering affidavit. He
did not respond.
(e)
On 22 September 2022, the matters were allocated to us. Mr Jenkins
was informed and he indicated
that he would file his answering
affidavit on Thursday, 6 October 2022.
(f)
On the strength of that undertaking, the court set the matter down
for a direction
hearing on Monday 10 October 2022 at 08h30 in Court
18. It was anticipated and communicated to the parties that the
parties should
be able to indicate whether they needed time to
respond to the answering affidavit Mr Jenkins had undertaken to file,
or whether
the matter could proceed as set down.
(g)
We further considered that the Supreme Court of Appeal
(SCA)
had,
in granting leave to appeal, directed that the appeal be dealt with
on an urgent basis. Therefore, a postponement in the rescission
application might have resulted in a separation of the two matters.
(h)
Mr Jenkins did not file his affidavit as undertaken nor did he appear
at the direction hearing.
Instead, he left a voice note for my
registrar, after the hearing, professing not to have known where the
direction hearing was
being held.
(i)
At the hearing, on 11 October 2022, Mr Jenkins professed not to have
known when
his affidavit was due and indicated that he had been
drafting it for the past 2 weeks. He did not explain why he had not
done so
earlier. In the absence of a full and frank explanation
dealing with the whole period of delay, the dilatory behaviour was
inexcusable.
(j)
We also considered that the matters were inextricably linked and
should be heard together.
In the circumstances of this matter, the
prejudice a postponement would have caused could not be remedied with
an appropriate cost
order.
(k)
In addition, Mr Jenkins was legally represented in the interdict
application before Goliath DJP and
those attorneys indicated that
they might come on record for Mr Jenkins after the first applicant
had terminated its mandate. However,
Mr Jenkins is no ordinary
litigant as his impressive CV indicates, from which the following
appear:
'[He is] an alumnus of
the International Leadership Programme at International House, New
York....recipient of the Merit Award in
Oral History at the Graduate
School of Arts and Science at Columbia University founding chair of
the AIXARRA Restorative Justice
Forum, ... based at the Centre of
African Studies at the University of Cape Town
(UCT).
... [Mr Jenkins is
further] a research scholar, recipient of the Mafeje PhD scholar
award in 2021....a member of the academic review
process of the first
KhoeKhoegowab language course introduced at UCT. [In addition, he
has] represented the Goringhaicona on various
regional and national
forums dealing with issues of restitution and unity. [He is also] an
accredited
Section 11
monitor of the South African Human Rights
Commission among other.'
[4]
The first applicant is a group of individuals from a First Nations
tribe who share the same heritage
and desire its protection and
preservation. In the appeal matter, Mr Jenkins professed to have
instituted, on behalf of the first
applicant, an application for an
interdict to prevent the River Club development from proceeding
pending the finalisation of review
proceedings in which it challenged
the environmental authorisation, among others, granted to the
development.
[5]
The interdict application was successful, and the appeal lies against
that order. However, the
first applicant now alleges that Mr Jenkins
did not have the necessary authority to launch the interdict
application on its behalf
and that in any event, it does not oppose
the development. The rescission application is directed at the same
order that forms
the subject of the appeal.
# The River Club
development
The River Club
development
[6]
The approved River Club development
(the development)
is at
the heart of both matters. It is common cause that the development
site has a rich heritage, having been occupied by indigenous
people,
used as a grazing place for livestock and serving various social,
ecological, and sacred functions. The site is also important
as the
place where indigenous people first encountered and resisted
colonialism. The site's heritage resources are mostly intangible,
primarily the product of memory and historical association. However,
the Black and Liesbeeck Rivers' confluence in the area is
accepted as
the point where indigenous people crossed and met the Portuguese.
[7]
Sadly, the importance of the site and its valuable heritage
significance have largely been ignored
as the Liesbeeck River has
been degraded and indefensibly polluted. In addition, a golf club, a
parking lot, a conference centre
and restaurants are modern features
on the site that do not add to the site's heritage significance.
[8]
The authorities received an application for the degraded site's
development that envisaged rehabilitation
of the Liesbeeck River,
public open spaces adorned with indigenous vegetation to replace the
golfing greens, the establishment
of a heritage museum, an
amphitheatre for use of both the First Nation Groups and other
members of public and residential accommodation
that would include
affordable housing and commercial accommodation. Significantly, the
development would include the construction
of public transport
infrastructure. The relevant authorities, after extensive public
engagement spanning several years, granted
the required authorisation
and the development broke ground.
# The rescission
application
The rescission
application
[9]
The Observatory Civic Association,
the third respondent, and Mr
Jenkins on behalf of the first applicant, under case number
12994/2021, obtained an interdict to halt
the development as
indicated in paragraph 1 above. In the rescission application, the
first applicant distanced itself from the
allegations that had
persuaded the court
a quo
to grant the interim interdict. The
Observatory Civic Association, the third respondent, gave notice of
its intention to oppose
and filed Mr London's affidavit in which it
dealt only with urgency; it did not, however, oppose the merits of
the application.
[1O]
It was alleged on behalf of the first applicant that it had on 27
July 2021, in terms of its March
2021 Constitution, resolved to
authorise Mr Jenkins to engage the services of Cullinan and
Associates Incorporated to institute
legal proceedings to interdict
the development. In terms of the resolution, Mr Jenkins was also
authorised to grant any power of
attorney and to attest to affidavits
on the first applicant's behalf. The signatories to the resolution
were 'the Paramount Chief
Aran, Supreme Senior Chief Desmond Dreyer,
Supreme High Commissioner Tauriq Jenkins, Supreme Elder Peter Ludolph
and Hamaqua Patricia
Aran'.
[11]
Mr Jenkins, in the interdict application, alleged as follows:
'Given the urgency with
which these proceedings have been launched I have not been able to
file confirmatory letter or affidavits
from any of these groups with
this affidavit but intend to file those with the supplementary
founding affidavit that will be filed
in the review application.'
[12]
Mr Jenkins alleged, with reference to the persons he had consulted
that:
'78 Despite narrative
disseminated by the FNC, the leaders of the vast majority of First
Nation organizations have confirmed in
conversations with me, that
they remain strongly opposed to the proposed development. Of these
traditional authorities and organisations
views the ethics engaged in
this process as a violation of the San Code of Ethics these include:
78.1 the vast majority
the peninsula Khoi sovereign formations, including the Goringhaicona
Khoi Khoin Traditional Indigenous Council,
the Cochoqua Traditional
Authority, the Hessequa Traditional Authority under Chief Lanville,
and the Gainougua Traditional Authority
under Kenneth Hoffman;
…
78.3.1. the Komani-san
led by Petrus Vaalbooi.'
# Fraud allegation
Fraud allegation
[13]
The first applicant has denied that the resolution was taken in terms
of its 2018 Constitution,
the only document in terms whereof it is
bound, which provides as follows:
'[the Indigenous Tribe]
shall only be legally bound in the exercise of its competencies set
out in this constitution by a person
or persons authorised in
advance, in writing by the Paramount Chief, Regent, Chairperson and
Senior Chief of CHIEFTAINCY of the
Executive and NATIONAL COUNCIL or
a person formation delegated by him or her in writing.'
[14]
The 2018 Constitution further provides as follows:
'The Paramount Chief;
Regent; Chairperson and Senior Chief of CHIEFTAINCY only these three
(3) have the right to authorised someone
by him or her in writing
[to] represent[s] GORINGHAICONA KHOI KHOIN INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL
COUNCIL in all legal proceedings by
or against the TRIBE.'
[15]
The first applicant alleged that the regent, Edmen Michael Hansen
(the second applicant in the
rescission application) had to be a
signatory to resolution. He was not. Similarly, Senior Chief Shiraatz
Mohammed (the third applicant
in the rescission application) should
have been a signatory to the resolution but was not. The absence of
these signatories renders
the resolution invalid. It follows that the
first applicant did not authorise the litigation instituted under
case number 12994/2021.
The first applicant further denied that the
2021 document, on which the judgment was obtained, was its
constitution.
[16]
Therefore, at an urgent meeting, the first applicant attempted to
remedy the situation as follows:
'Introduction:
Following the meeting
held on Sunday 29 May 2022 ... GKKITC National Executive Council,
representing the Goringhaicona Tribe, have
taken resolutions, as a
tribe, in order to ensure that our best interests are protected and
that we are not misrepresented ever
again by any person, and in
particular Paramount Chief Aran and Tauriq Jenkins, in any matter, in
respect of the development at
the Twin Rivers Urban Park in
Observatory in Cape Town, or again in respect of other matters, in
the future.
In light of this, the
following has been noted by the leadership and tribe of the
Goringhaicona:
1.
There was never any consultation on the formation or ratification of
the Goringhaicona
Constitution in March 2021, and whatever PC Aran or
Mr Jenkins may have done to give effect to this constitution was not
done with
the authority of the National Executive Council or the
tribe as a whole;
2.
The only valid Constitution is the 2018 Constitution;
3.
There was never any approval of the appointment of Supreme High
Commissioner
Tauriq Jenkins as such and "Supreme High
Commissioner'' is also not a position that exists in Khoisan custom
or tradition;
4.
There was never any consultation with the Goringhaicona tribe with
regards to
the applications to the High Court;
5.
There has never been any agreement amongst the Goringhaicona to the
effect that
we shall oppose the Twin Rivers Urban Park or the
Liesbeeck development, and many members of the tribe support the
development,
particularly due to its economic benefits; ... '
[17]
That meeting adopted the following resolutions:
'(a)
The only valid Constitution of the GKKITC is the 2018 Constitution.
(b)
Any and all authority to represent the GKKITC and the Goringhaicona
tribe that may have vested in PC Aran
and Tariq Jenkins, is hereby
revoked.
(c)
PC Aran and Mr Jenkins are forbidden [from] acting in any capacity,
without the written, signed, authority
of the GKKITC National
Executive Council.
(d)
PC Aran and Mr Jenkins are to resign from, failing which they are to
be removed from, all
Goringhaicona structures, including the GKKITC,
the trust and all companies and cooperatives.
(e)
The Resolution of 27 July 2021 is invalid and any actions taken in
terms of this resolution
are invalid.
(f)
The applications made in the Cape Town High Court, with case numbers
12994/2021 and
11580/2022 shall be withdrawn and where orders have
been granted, they shall be rescinded, and all actions, required to
facilitate
this, including any necessary court proceedings, must be
taken.
(g)
Any authority given to Cullinan and Associates to represent the
GKKITC and the Goringhaicona
tribe is hereby revoked.
(h)
That Regent Elder Edmen Hansen or Elder Peter Ludolph, alternatively
or failing them Chief
Shiraatz Mohammed, be authorized to depose to
any affidavits or statements for and on behalf of the GKKITC, in
order to give effect
to this resolution.
(i)
TJC Dunn Attorneys are hereby appointed ... to give effect to this
resolution
and make any necessary application/s to court... '
[18]
The
applicants have alleged that Mr Jenkins obtained the interim
interdict fraudulently. A judgment induced by fraud cannot stand;
however, in order to succeed on this basis, an applicant has to prove
that the respondent
gave
incorrect evidence at the initial proceedings; that the respondent
did so fraudulently with the intention to mislead the court;
and that
such false evidence diverged from the true facts to such an extent
that the court, had it been aware thereof, would have
given a
different judgment.
[2]
It is
necessary to consider the evidence in support
of
the
fraud
allegations
in
some
detail
as
rescission
of
a judgment
is contrary to the principle of finality and should not be easily
granted. The Constitutional Court has held as follows:
[3]
'There is a reason that
rule 42, in consolidating what the common law has long permitted,
operates only in specific and limited
circumstances. Lest chaos be
invited into the processes of administering justice, the interests of
justice requires the grounds
available for rescission to remain
carefully defined. In
Colyn,
the Supreme Court of Appeal
emphasised that "the guiding principle of the common law is
certainty of judgments". Indeed,
a court must be guided by
prudence when exercising its discretionary powers in terms of the law
of rescission, which discretion,
as expounded above, should be
exercised only in exceptional cases, having "regard to the
principle that it is desirable for
there to be finality in
judgments".' (Internal footnotes omitted.)
[19]
Therefore, this court went to some length to secure Mr Jenkin's
version on record; he, however,
seemed content to delay. Obviously,
the court could not oblige considering the serious allegations which
if true would militate
in favour of the rescission application and
would affect the outcome of the appeal. In the circumstances of these
matters, a joint
hearing was in the interest of justice. It is
necessary to consider the evidence in some detail. Mr Vaalbooi
alleged as follows:
'(a)
[He is] the leader of the Komani-san. This averment lacks merit and
demonstrates that [Mr Jenkins'] ignorance
of the Bushman nation. I am
the traditional leader of the Bushman.
(b)
In paragraph [78] ... [Mr Jenkins] allege that I, in particular have
relay to him that -
(i)
I oppose the proposed development of the River Park development; and
(ii)
I view the "ethics" ...as a violation of the San Code of
Ethics.
12.2. I categorically
deny that I have ever spoken to [Mr Jenkins]. I don't know who this
person is and I have never met him. Any
averment made that I have
opposed the River Club development lacks merit and is a blatant lie.
This Honourable Court must not take
kindly to such untruthfulness
that has been placed under oath.
12.3 I have never
informed [Mr Jenkins] that the process engaged in by the First
Nations Collective to develop the River Club is
a violation of the
San Code of Ethics. This is once again misleading and a blatant
untruth.
…
13.1. I once again want
to unequivocally reiterate my and my peoples unreserved and
unconditional support to the first Nations Collective,
which we are
part of, in their desire to develop the River Club land for the
social economic and heritage rights and benefit
of all the
indigenous peoples.'
[20]
Mr Vaalbooi's allegations stand uncontested. However, in oral
address, Mr Jenkins alleged that
some people have had a change of
heart and that his allegations were misinterpreted. That does not
answer Mr Vaalbooi's allegation
that he had not met Mr Jenkins prior
to the institution of the interdict application. In addition, Goliath
DJP relied on Mr Jenkin's
allegations as follows:
'[120] LLPT, supported by
the heritage consultant and Mr Rudewaan Arendse, have sought to
persuade the Court that the proposed development
is supported by the
majority of First Nations Groups through the FNC. Jenkins contested
this assertion and alerted the Court to
the existence of other First
Nations Groups and Traditional Authorities who are opposed to the
development and may have an interest
in this matter. These include:
…
120.3 The National House
of IXam Bushmen Nation which encompass the following 11 IXam Bushmen
Tribes of the Nation;
(a) The Khomani San led
by Petrus Vaalbooi;
…
(f) The IXau-Sakwa led by
Paramount Chief Danster... '
### [21]
Chief Danster said the following in support of the rescission
application:
[21]
Chief Danster said the following in support of the rescission
application:
'... 3. I depose to this
affidavit in order to clarify my involvement, or absence thereof, in
the matter of Observatory Civic Association
and Goringhaicona Khoi
Khoin...under... case number 12994/2021, relating to the Two Rivers
Urban Park, the River Club Development
and related matters.
4.
I was alerted to the existence of an affidavit deposed to by [Mr
Jenkins] on 30 July
2021 in Cape Town, in which he alleged that I am
in support of the application to the High Court, as indicated in
paragraph 78
of the affidavit.
5.
I must categorically state that I have never had any dealings or
discussions with Mr Jenkins or Paramount Chief Aran in respect of
this matter and am shocked that my name has been used to lend
credibility to something that I have no knowledge of, without my
consent.
6.
I do not want to be associated with this matter, and should never
have been associated
with it, in the first place.
7.
I wish to clarify that I do not support the application, the relief
sought in the application,
and do not wish for either Mr Jenkins or
Paramount Chief Aran to misrepresent me or my views in this matter,
or any other in the
future.' (own emphasis)
[22]
Mr Vaalbooi and Chief Danster are adamant that they had not discussed
the development with Mr
Jenkins prior to his launching the interdict
application. In respect of the authorisation that Mr Jenkins
purported to have had,
the second applicant, Mr Hansen, who deposed
to the founding affidavit in the rescission application, said the
following:
'1. I am an adult male
Senior Khoisan Elder and Regent of the Goringhaicona tribe...
31. We form part of the
Khoisan nation, a conglomeration of multiple tribes and clans, spread
out across Southern Africa, stretching
from Cape Town in the South,
to Southern Angola and Botswana in the North, and border of the
Eastern Cape....
35. Over the last few
years, particularly since the advent of the democratic dispensation
in 1994, the Goringhaicona, and the rest
of the Khoisan nation, has
seen a resurgence in conscientization and assertion of our culture,
and commensurate rights....
67. I was instrumental in
putting together the Constitution document for the First Applicant in
2018, drafting it carefully, over
time. It was adopted at all levels
of tribal strucks in Mid-2018, with a bottom-up approach to approval
being taken....
70. The 2018 Constitution
was followed and abided by from 2018 until now, and we still
subscribe to it, as far as possible, although
we do have challenges
with regards to the number of active members, as many organisations
do....
72. In or about late
2017, [Mr Jenkins] came into the Kraal at Oude Molen, with the second
respondent present, and began making
his acquaintance.
…
100. The
resolution put forward by [Mr Jenkins] to commence these proceedings
on 27 July 2021, ... did not include the
Supreme Council NEC, and has
the names of people on it who are not part of the Supreme Council or
the NEC, such as:
100.1. The
First Respondent (Mr Jenkins) ...
100.3. Desmond Dreyer,
considering that there is no position that is occupied by [him], that
would warrant him to be a signatory
on the resolution.
101. I must
note that there are 2 important people missing from the document, if
the Supreme Council itself is considered:
101.1. As
Regent, I should have been a signatory to the resolution;
101.2. Senior
Chief Shiraatz Mohammed, the Third Applicant should also have been a
signatory. ...'
[23]
The third respondent, Senior Chief Shiraatz Mohammed, said the
following:
'1. I am an adult male
Senior Khoisan Chief of the Goringhaicona tribe...
28.
The 2021 Constitution, as is attached to Elder Edmen Hansen's
affidavit, was signed by people that I
do not know of, and was never
brought to the attention of the Nation Executive Council for
approval, discussion, or ratification.
29.
With regards to the 2021 Constitution, there was a weekend camp at
the Kraal, where people came to do
...Ceremonies, but these people
are not documented or Goringhaicona, and they appear to have also
included people who just came
to the Kraal for any purpose, because
it is not normal for there to be so many people at a Ceremony.
30.
The way the 2021 Constitution should have been adopted, if it was to
be valid, is that it should have
been put into the main stream of the
Goringhaicona structures, which start with the National Executive
Council, as well as the
regional substructures, in each area.
31.
Our Constitution of 2018 is the Highest regulation of tribal affairs,
which Aran and [Mr Jenkins] are
in violation of that Constitution. …'
[24]
The evidence from the second and third respondents is not
controverted. Therefore, I accept that
the 2018 Constitution is the
first applicant's constitution and that actions contrary to it and
not ratified by the relevant structure
permitted in terms of the 2018
Constitution are invalid and do not bind the first applicant.
[25]
The fourth applicant, Peter Ludolph, did sign the resolution. He said
the following about the circumstances in
which he did so:
'1. I am an adult male
Senior Elder of the Goringhaicona tribe...
4. I am 85 years of age
have been involved in the Goringhaicona leadership for at least 25
years and have a deep understanding of
the Goringhaicona governance
structures and procedures...
6. At the beginning of
May 2022, at a tribal council meeting ...I was alerted by Chief
Ebrahim Abrahams to the difficulties around
this matter, and the
existence of an affidavit deposed to by [Mr Jenkins] ...
10.
I cannot recall exactly the date that I signed the resolution, but I
signed it under the following
circumstances.
11.
In the morning I was called by [Mr Jenkins] to come to the Kraal. ..
as I was needed, to sign
something. I was not told what it was for.
12.
I got to Oude Moulen in the latter part of the evening and Shiraz
Mohammed, Aran, his wife, Patricia,
and I were present.
13.
[Mr Jenkins] arrived a bit later, with 2 pieces of paper for me to
sign for him.
14.
I did not read it, and [Mr Jenkins] was vague about what it was for,
just saying it was for the
tribe.
15.
He said "Elder, please sign this paper for us", and little
else.
16
As I trusted [Mr Jenkins] at that point, I signed the resolution, not
knowing what was intended
by it.
17
Desmond Dreyer was running late, so we waited a while for him to
arrive.
18. Desmond Dreyer
eventually arrived and signed the document too, without being told
what it was about. ...
23. I only understood
what the magnitude and implication of the resolution was, when a
Goringhaicona meeting was held on 29 May
2022 at the Marion Institute
in Athlone, and the High Court application was shown to me for the
first time, with my signature on
the resolution document attached to
it. ...
26. I am of the view that
such an important document should have been clearly explained to me,
and I am shocked that it was not.
...
74. Under the
circumstances, the actions taken by Aran and [Mr Jenkins] had no
proper authority, and could not have been authorised
by the
resolution signed by me, even if it had been explained to me, which
it was not.'
[26]
It seems that Mr Jenkins was determined to stop the development at
all costs. He therefore
fabricated a constitution to suit his
objective and betrayed the trust others had in him. I do not come to
this conclusion lightly;
the evidence, Mr Jenkins' dilatory behaviour
and professed ignorance in respect of when he had to file his
answering affidavit
and his contemptuous absence from the direction
hearing the day before the main hearing support the correctness of
the conclusion.
Mr Jenkins must have appreciated that he had to apply
at the direction hearing for a postponement as his answering
affidavit was
still in draft. That he did not attend that hearing is
testimony to his disregard for the implications for his reputation
and the
court.
[27]
The applicants sought the following relief:
'1. It is declared that
the 2018 Constitution document, as opposed to the document dated 31
March 2021, of the First Applicant is
the valid constitution of the
First Applicant.
2.
It is declared that the Goringhaicona did not authorize the
litigation under case number
12994/2021.
3.
It is declared that the First and Second Respondents are not the duly
authorised representatives
of the Goringhaicona.
4.
The order and judgment by Goliath DJP under case number 12994/2021 on
18 March 2022
is rescinded.'
# Conclusion
Conclusion
[28]
I, for the reasons stated above, am persuaded that the judgment dated
18 March 2022 was
induced by fraud. Mr Jenkins misrepresented the
first applicant's Constitution and did not have authorisation to
launch the proceedings
that culminated in the judgment. He further
misrepresented the views of some indigenous leaders without
consulting with them. Goliath
DJP acted on those misrepresentations
as is clear from the judgment as a whole and the paragraph referred
to above. It is axiomatic
that the court
a quo
would not have
entertained the application had it been aware that the first
applicant had not authorised the litigation. The judgment
and orders
stand to be rescinded.
[29]
I further accept that the first applicant is governed by its 2018
Constitution and that
it was so governed at times relevant to this
judgment. It follows that the litigation under case number 12994/2021
that was not
ratified by the first applicant was therefore not
authorised by it. The application must succeed. Although a punitive
costs order
would have been appropriate, the applicants did not seek
costs.
[30]
The following ord r, with which Slingers and Lekhuleni JJ concurred,
is granted:
(a)
It is declared that the 2018 Constitution document, as opposed to the
document dated 31
March 2021, of the first applicant is the valid
constitution of the first applicant.
(b)
It is declared that the Goringhaicona did not authorise the
litigation under case number
12994/2021.
(c)
It is declared that the first and second respondents are not the duly
authorised representatives
of the Goringhaicona.
(d)
The order and judgment by Goliath DJP under case number 12994/2021 on
18 March 2022 are
rescinded.
# The appeal under case
number 12994/2021
The appeal under case
number 12994/2021
The
Director: Development
First Appellant/Fourth Respondent a quo
Management
(Region 1
),
Environmental
Affairs
&
Development Planning,
Western
Cape Provincial Government
The
Minister for Local Government,
Second Appellant/Fifth Respondent a quo
Environmental
Affairs
&
Development
Planning,
Western Cape Provincial
Government
Trustees
for the time being of the
Third Appellant/
First Respondent a quo
Liesbeek
Leisure Properties Trust
City
of Cape
Town
Fourth Appellant/Third Respondent a quo
Executive
Mayor, City of Cape Town
Fifth Appellant/Seventh Respondent a quo
Western
Cape First Nations
Collective
Sixth Appellant/Eighth Respondent a quo
And
Observatory
Civic
Association
First Respondent/First Applicant a quo
Goringhaicona
Khoi
Khoin
Indigenous
Second Respondent/Second Applicant a quo
Traditional
Council
Heritage
Western
Cape
Third Respondent/Second Respondent a quo
[31]
The first,
second, fourth, fifth and sixth appellants
(the
appellants)
with
leave of the SCA, appeal the order of Goliath DJP handed down on 18
March 2022, referred to in paragraph 1 above. In August
2022, the
Observatory Civic Association
(the
first respondent)
and
the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Council
(the
second respondent)
sought
urgent interdictory relief, Part A
[4]
.
[32]
The respondents further sought final relief under Part B, where they
sought the review
and setting aside of the 20 August 2020 grant of
environmental authorisation under section 24 of the National
Environmental Management
Act, 107 of 1998
(NEMA)
for the
listed activities associated with the development. The respondents
will further seek the review and setting aside of the
22 February
2021 decision, in terms of section 43 of NEMA, to dismiss the
internal appeals against the August decision. The review
is also
directed against the decision of the Municipal Planning Tribunal
granted in terms of section 98(b) of the City of Cape
Town Municipal
Planning By-law to approve, among others, an application to rezone
the property to a subdivisional area.
[33]
This appeal
concerns the relief obtained in Part A. The appeal is not opposed and
the respondents have abandoned
[5]
the relief obtained in paragraphs 145.1(a)
(the
abandoned relief);
it
is convenient to repeat the paragraph:
'145.1 First Respondent
is interdicted from undertaking any further construction, earthworks,
or other works on erf 15183, Observatory,
Western Cape to implement
the River Club development as authorised by the environmental
authorisation issued in terms of the
National Environmental
Management Act, 107 of 1998
on 22 February 2021 and various
development permissions issued in terms of the City of Cape Town's
Municipal Planning By-Law, 2015
pending:
Conclusion of meaningful
engagement and consultation with all affected First Nations Peoples
as envisaged in the interim and final
comments of HWC.'
[34]
The issues in the appeal are as follows:
(a)
The effect of the abandonment.
(b)
Mr Jenkins' authority to represent the second respondent.
(c)
Whether the respondents made out a case for the interim relief they
obtained.
(d)
Whether the court a
quo
erred in dismissing the applications
to strike out.
## The abandoned relief
The abandoned relief
[35]
The respondents abandoned the relief as it was not sought by anyone
and, as indicated above,
the second respondent, the first applicant
in the rescission application, sought to rescind the whole judgment.
However, the relief
involves other unidentified parties in whose
interest the order operates. The respondents' abandonment has no
effect on the unidentified
group's rights - its rights remain in
place until set aside. The relief granted is problematic as no case
was made out for it on
the papers. The court a
quo
appreciated
that the target group to be consulted was unidentified and that
neither party to the litigation was able to assist in
identifying the
target group. Those appellants who were obliged to consult interested
parties claimed that they had engaged in
extensive public
participation processes.
[36]
The first and second appellants claimed that the authorisation
granted had considered input
from interested parties and the heritage
interest had been adequately accommodated. The authorisation also
provided for ongoing
consultation with the affected First Nation
Groups to ensure that the development meets expectations.
[37]
In motion
proceedings, an applicant must make out its case in the founding
papers and the respondent must meet that case.
[6]
The respondents alleged irrationality and unreasonableness of the
impugned decisions as a basis for the review application. That
was
the case the appellants had to meet. Ordinarily, a court minded to
tailor the relief sought will afford the parties an opportunity
to
address the further issue.
As the
relief granted was not sought, none of the parties to the litigation
could identify the group with whom there should be 'meaningful
engagement and consultation'. There was no duty on the appellants to
place that information before the court. In those circumstances,
it
was unfair to criticise the parties for failure to place information
before the court that would not have advanced the issues
in dispute
as they appeared from the papers.
[38]
The abandoned relief is final and unenforceable as, among others, it
does not indicate
who should undertake the consultation or with whom.
It stands to be set aside on appeal.
## Mr Jenkins' authority to
represent the second appellant.
Mr Jenkins' authority to
represent the second appellant.
[39]
Mr Katz SC, who appeared with Mr Prinsloo, instructed by the attorney
Tim Dunn represented the
second respondent in the rescission
application where it alleged that Mr Jenkins had fraudulently
represented that he had authority
to institute proceedings on its
behalf. As indicated above, that application found favour with this
court. The same legal team
also acted on behalf of the second
respondent in abandoning the relief referred to above and filed a
notice to abide by the appeal.
In those circumstances, it is
difficult to comprehend Mr Jenkins' determination to address the
court in the appeal on behalf of
the second respondent.
[40]
The second
respondent is a voluntary group of like-minded First Nations persons
who act together in furtherance of their shared
cultural objectives.
The group can only be represented by a legal practitioner of their
choice. Mr Jenkins is not a legal practitioner
and is therefore
unable to represent any other natural person or group of persons.
This court does not have a discretion in this
regard; furthermore,
even assuming it had the discretion, we would not have exercised it
in Mr Jenkins' favour as the second respondent
had resolved to
dismiss him from their ranks.
In Van der
Merwe
[7]
, the court held:
'[45] In terms of the
common law, it is not permissible for a lay person to represent a
natural person in a court of law. This common-law
position now finds
support ins 25 of the legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, which provides
in relevant part that:
"(1) Any person who
has been admitted and enrolled to practise as a legal practitioner in
terms of this Act, is entitled to
practise throughout the Republic,
unless his or her name has been ordered to be struck off the Roll or
he or she is subject to
an order suspending him or her from
practising.
(2) A legal practitioner,
whether practising as an advocate or an attorney, has the right to
appear on behalf of any person in any
court in the Republic or before
any board, tribunal or similar institution, subject to subsections
(3) and (4) or any other law."
[46] It follows that
there is no discretion to allow a lay person to represent a natural
person in a court of law....The pitfalls
of a natural person being
represented by a person who is not a legal practitioner are obvious.
The clearest example that comes
to mind is that the rules of this
Court would not oblige such a lay representative to file a power of
attorney. This could cause
a party to subsequently deny the authority
of the representative, to the detriment of the administration of
justice. …'(Internal
footnotes omitted.)
## Were the jurisdictional
requirements for interim relief met
Were the jurisdictional
requirements for interim relief met
[41]
In the interdict application, the respondents asserted that the First
Nation Groups have
a right to have their culture respected and
heritage sites protected. That was common cause among the parties.
Therefore, the authorisations
that form the subject of the review
provide for its protection. It is important to bear in mind that the
interdict was granted
approximately 8 months after construction had
already altered the original degraded site.
[42]
The
jurisdictional
requirements
for
interim
relief
are
well
known.
[8]
Mr London deposed to the founding affidavit in the interdict
application and described the
prima
facie
right
respondents sought to protect as follows:
'203. The facts set out
above establish a strong prima
facie right
warranting
protection by this court, namely a right to review of the unlawful
decisions at issue, which themselves have compromised
the rights of
the applicants to lawful action that conserves South Africa's
heritage for the benefit of present and future generations,
and to
the lawful implementation of the spatial planning instruments
affecting the area of Observatory.
204. It is furthermore
beyond question that the anticipated harm - i.e., the destruction and
transformation of the River Club site
- will eventuate if the relief
in Part A of the notice of motion is not granted. Indeed, it has
already begun'.
[43]
The
respondents sought to protect their right to review 'the unlawful
decisions at issue'. That right cannot form the basis for
interim
relief. In OUTA
[9]
,
the court
held as follows:
'[48] At the outset the
high court had to decide whether the applicants had established a
prima facie right, although open to some
doubt. ...
[49]
Second, there is a conceptual difficulty with the high court's
holding that the applicants have shown "a
prima facie...right to
have the decision reviewed and set aside as ..." The right to
approach a court to review and set aside
a decision, in the past, and
even more so now, resides in everyone. The Constitution makes it
plain that "(e)veryone has the
right to administrative action
that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair" and in turn
PAJA regulates the review of
administrative action.
[50]
Under the
Setlogelo
test the prima facie right a claimant must
establish is not merely the right to approach a court in order to
review an administrative
decision. It is a right to which, if not
protected by an interdict, irreparable harm would ensue. An interdict
is meant to prevent
future conduct and not decisions already made.
Quite apart from the right to review and to set aside impugned
decisions, the applicants
should have demonstrated a prima facie
right that is threatened by an impending or imminent irreparable
harm. The right to review
the impugned decisions did not require any
preservation pendente lite.'(lnternal footnotes omitted.)
[44]
Mr London said the following about the acknowledged heritage right:
'14. The heritage
resource in question is the River Club site itself, a "virtual
island" occurring at the confluence of
the Black and Liesbeeck
rivers. The property embodies exceptional heritage significance by
virtue of its symbolic (and actual)
association with early
confrontations between the Peninsula Khoekhoe and the first Dutch
settlers...as well as its location within
the broader "urban
park" that has an extraordinarily high concentration of heritage
sites and a very unusual character.
The River Club site is also an
important "green lung" in the city (and identified as such
in relevant spatial plans).'
[45]
He then goes on to criticise the process followed in the 'heritage
impact assessment',
concluding as follows:
'20. In the result, we
contend that the environmental authorisation issued for the project
is fatally defective and susceptible
to review. The developmental
approval granted for the project in terms of the MPB is, we contend,
likewise defective.'
[46]
Significantly, Mr London does not allege that the right to heritage
is at risk from suffering
any harm, let alone irreparable harm, as is
the jurisdictional requirement for an interim interdict. It is common
cause that the
development site has symbolic and actual associations
with early confrontations between indigenous peoples and early
settlers.
Although there is no tangible manifestation of the beliefs
and interactions associated with the site, its heritage value is
undisputed.
However, the respondents did not allege or demonstrate
that the development would cause irreparable harm to the heritage
resource.
[47]
On the contrary, the- papers ·indicated that the development
might enhance the resource
having regard to the degraded state of the
site when the authorisation was obtained. In addition, the First
Nations Groups will
be able to give input to ensure the development
meets expectations. When the interdict was granted, the site had been
transformed
by construction. Therefore, the respondents' allegation
that the interdict was sought to prevent the destruction and
transformation
of the site does not demonstrate future harm, as the
site had already transformed. However, the heritage value is
apparently still
intact and not under threat.
[48]
The court
a quo
held that the interdict was necessary to halt
construction
'in order to embark on a proper consultation
process'.
An inadequate consultation process refers to past
action and cannot be rectified with an interim interdict, which is
clear from
OUTA, referred to above. The parties realised that and so
abandoned the relief directed at further consultation.
## The test on appeal in
respect of interim relief
The test on appeal in
respect of interim relief
[49]
The
conclusion that the applicants have failed to identify a right under
threat of irreparable harm leads to the test to be applied
on appeal.
In Knox D'Arcy
[10]
,
the court
examined the relevant authorities and concluded that a court of
appeal can interfere where it concludes that the court
a
quo
granted
the wrong order. The test is not whether the court
a
quo
exercised
its discretion properly, rather whether it arrived at the correct
conclusion on a conspectus of the evidence before it.
Brand JA
[11]
said the following with reference to the test in
Knox
D'Arcy:
'[18] ...First amongst
these concerns the intrinsic nature of the decision taken by the
court a quo when it refused the business
rescue application. The
issue has its origin in the contention...because the decision by the
court a quo derived from the exercise
of a discretion, this court's
authority to interfere with that decision is limited. The contention
has its roots in the well
established principle that a court of
appeal is not allowed to interfere with the exercise of a discretion
merely because it would
have come to a different conclusion. It may
interfere only if the lower court had been influenced by wrong
principles of law, or
a misdirection of fact, or if it had failed to
exercise a discretion at all. The reason for the limitation, it is
said, is because,
in an appeal against the exercise of a discretion,
the question is not whether the lower court had arrived at the right
conclusion,
but whether it had exercised its discretion in a proper
manner ... Equally well settled, however, is the principle that this
limitation
on interference only applies to the exercise of a
discretion in the strict sense. What gives rise to the emphasis on
"strict
sense" in this context, is that the term
"discretion" is sometimes used in the loose sense to
indicate no more than
the application of a value judgment. Where the
"discretion" exercised by the lower court was one in the
loose sense of
a value judgment, the limitation imposed on the
authority of the court of appeal to interfere does not apply. In that
event the
court of appeal is both entitled, and in fact duty-bound,
to interfere if it would have come to a different conclusion.
[19]
...The guiding principles, I believe, are to be found in
Knox
D'Arcy...
which principles have been approved and applied by the
Constitutional Court on several occasions, eg in
Giddey NO v JC
Barnard and Partners
[2006] ZACC 13
;
2007 (5) SA 525
(CC)...a discretion in the
strict sense is confined to those instances where the lower court
could legitimately adopt any one of
a range of options about which
there may well be a justifiable difference of opinion as to which one
would be the most appropriate.
An award of general damages, for
example, may vary from say R90 000 to R120 000. No award within that
range could be described
as "wrong". That is a discretion
in the strict sense....
[20]
Reference to a "discretion" without these attributes does
not convey the meaning of a "discretion
in the strict sense".
Even if a discretion without these qualifications is described as a
"wide discretion", it
conveys no more than the meaning that
the court is entitled to have regard to a variety of diverse and
contrasting considerations
in reaching a conclusion. But in the end,
that conclusion will be either right or wrong....the limitations on
the powers of a court
of appeal are confined to the exercise of a
discretion in the strict sense.'
[50]
Scott
JA
[12]
held as follows:
'It follows...that the
order made by the Court
a quo
in substitution of para
(d)
of the rule
nisi
is wholly at variance with the order
which this Court would have made sitting as a Court of first
instance. …To the extent,
therefore, that the Court
a quo
relied on that case to justify its order, in my view, it
misdirected itself. In all the circumstance, this Court is entitled
to
interfere even if it is accepted that the discretion exercised by
the Court
a quo
was a discretion in the strict sense…'
## Application of the test
to the facts
Application of the test
to the facts
[51]
Either the
respondents met the requirements for interim relief or they did not.
As indicated above, I am persuaded that the respondents
did not
establish a
prima
facie
right,
even if open to some doubt. There could thus be no consideration
of
irreparable harm in the absence of a
prima
facie
right
to be protected from future irreparable harm. Similarly, there could
be no weighing of interests to determine where the balance
of
convenience lies which is properly why the court
a
quo
did
not undertake the enquiry. Had the court
a
quo
undertaken
the enquiry, it would have found the many opportunities for growth
the development offers the First Nations Groups; the
promotion of the
site's heritage value and the employment opportunities for the
unemployed in the province, to name just a few
examples, far outweigh
the unarticulated harm in the respondents' case.
Without a
prima
facie
right,
the respondents never got out of 'the starting blocks'. An interdict
is a remedy only for present and future invasions of
a right, not for
past invasions.
[13]
[52]
As indicated above, when the interdict was granted, the construction
had already started
in accordance with the authorisation that had
been granted. The respondents have an alternate remedy - review of
the impugned decisions.
That process has already started and the
review court will be able to make any order that is 'just and
equitable' should it set
aside any of the impugned decisions. It is
not apparent from the papers that review proceedings are not an
adequate alternative
remedy. In the circumstances of this matter,
this court would not have granted an interim interdict. It follows
that this court
is at liberty to interfere with the discretion
exercised by the court
a quo.
The interim interdict stands to
be set aside on appeal.
## The striking out
applications
The striking out
applications
[53]
In the striking out applications, the applicants contended that the
respondents had in
reply impermissibly introduced new grounds of
review and sought to strike out the new matter. As it is common cause
that new matter
was introduced in reply, I do not deem it necessary
to set the matter out in any detail. It is sufficient to restate that
the applicant
in motion proceedings must make out his/her case in the
founding papers. It is impermissible to make out a new case in reply,
as
the respondents do not have an opportunity to reply. The replying
affidavit should be the shortest affidavit filed in motion
proceedings.
[54]
The court
a quo
dealt with the matter as follows:
'[138] Three strike out
applications were filed by the LLPT, the City and the Province in
relation to various allegations in the
Applicants' replying papers on
the basis, in the main, that they introduce new review grounds in
reply and/or introduce new material
in reply, or are irrelevant. LLPT
applied for the striking out of certain paragraphs together with
annexures in the replying affidavit
of Professor Leslie London ...
the ....expert replying affidavit of Ms Bridgit O'Donoghue, the
expert replying affidavit of Ms
Deidre Prins-Solani, and the entire
affidavit of Mr Derick Ambrose Henstra... Third, Sixth and Seventh
Respondent applied for the
striking out of paragraphs 85-90 of the
replying affidavit of London together with annexures, paragraphs
24-26 of the replying
affidavit of O'Donoghue together with
annexures, and the entire replying affidavit of Prince-Solani. Fourth
and Fifth Respondents
applied for the striking of paragraphs 31 and
50 of the Applicant's replying affidavit of London.
[139] The averments which
the Respondents seek to have struck relate
inter alia
to
allegations in response to matters raised in the answering papers,
differences of opinions of heritage specialist, aspects relating
to
HWC's comments, and allegations surrounding legal arguments ...
[140] The papers filed in
this matter are prolix ... At the hearing ...the Court was informed
that the Rule 53 record still needed
to be prepared and delivered to
the Applicants. It is well established in review applications that an
Applicant has the right to
supplement its founding affidavit after
the Rule 53(1) record is filed...'
[55]
The court a
quo
accepted that the respondents could only
supplement their review grounds after the Rule 53 record had been
filed and that this had
not been done. Nevertheless, the court
a
quo
condoned the supplementing of the respondents' case in reply
and added as follows:
'[141] This Court is
mindful not to inappropriately traverse the purview of the review
court. The issues to be determined in the
review were considered for
the restricted purpose of determining whether the Applicants make out
a strong case for the interim
interdict to be granted. In my view the
majority of the grounds relied upon in the striking applications
implicate the review grounds
and related issues. …'
[56]
I am unable to support the court a
quo's
finding that the
applicants in the striking out applications would not be prejudiced
because they would be able to respond in the
review. The court a
quo
considered the impermissibly amplified grounds of review 'for the
restricted purpose of determining whether the [respondents] make
out
a strong case for the interim interdict to be granted'. The prejudice
is obvious. The order dismissing the striking out applications
stands
to be set aside on appeal.
## Costs
Costs
[57]
In respect of the striking out applications, the court a
quo
made
no order as to costs and gave no reasons for that order. I can see no
reason why costs should not follow the result. It is
apparent from
the judgment a
quo
that the applications were necessary. I
intend to grant the striking out applications with costs to follow
the result.
[58]
There was general agreement that no' costs would be sought against
the second respondent
if it succeeded in the rescission application.
It succeeded; hence no costs award in the appeal will be made against
the second
respondent.
[59]
Ms Blomkamp, the first respondent's counsel, submitted that it should
not be mulct with
the appeal costs, as it had abandoned the relief
referred to above and did not oppose the appeal. However, the notice
to abide
by the appeal was filed after the SCA had granted leave;
prior thereto, the first respondent had opposed the application for
leave
to appeal. Ms Blomkamp further submitted that the fourth
appellant, the City of Cape Town, had no basis to partake in the
litigation.
It should have, so the submission went, abided by the
court's decision.
[60]
I am
persuaded that the fourth appellant was within its rights to join the
litigation as the development addressed some of its core
constitutional obligations, e.g., the proposed low-cost housing to be
built, the many employment opportunities that would be created
and
the creation of transport infrastructure. I have further considered
the submission that the Biowatch
[14]
principles
are applicable. I disagree.
# Conclusion
Conclusion
[61]
I, for the reasons stated above, make the following order with which
Slingers and Lekhuleni
JJ concurred:
(a)
The appeal is upheld in respect of all the appellants with costs,
including the costs of
two counsel. The orders granted on 5 May 2022
are set aside and replaced with the following order:
(i)
The strike-out applications are upheld with costs, including the
costs of two
counsel.
(ii)
The application is dismissed with costs against the first respondent,
the Observatory
Civic Association, such costs to include the costs of
two counsel.
(iii)
The first respondent is to pay the costs, in respect of all the
appellants, occasioned
by the application for leave to appeal in the
court a
quo
and in the SCA, such costs to include the costs of
two counsel.
Baartman
J
I
concur.
Slingers
J
I
concur.
Lekhuleni
J
[1]
Van Wyk
v Unitas Hospital and Another {Open Democratic Advice Centre as
Amicus Curia)
[2007] ZACC 24
;
2008
(2) SA 472
(CC);
Ethekwini
Municipality v lngonyama Trust
2014
(3) SA 240
(CC).
[2]
Childerly
Estate Stores v Standard Bank of S.A., Ltd
1924
OPD 163.
[3]
Zuma v
Secretary of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of
State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector
Including
Organs of State and Others (Council for the Advancement of the South
African Constitution and another
as
amici
curiae)
2021
(11) BCLR 1263
(CC) para 98.
[4]
'1. That this application be heard as one of urgency …2.
Interdicting the First Respondent from undertaking any construction,
earthworks, or other works on erf 151832, Observatory…to
implement the River Club development as authorised by an
environmental
authorisation issued in terms of the National
Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998
("NEMA")
on 22
February 2021…pending:
2.1
The final determination of the application brought in terms of Part
B hereof; and
2.2
The grant of a permit by Heritage Western Cape in terms of
section
29(1)
of the
National Heritage Resources Act, 25 of 1999
authorising
the Defacement, alteration and excavation of the property (which
paragraph shall be operative until 8 April 2022)…'
[5]
Rule 41(2) of the Uniform Rules of Court: 'Any party in whose favour
any decision or judgment has been given, may abandon such
decision
or judgment either in whole or in part by delivering notice thereof
and such judgment or decision abandoned in part
shall have effect
subject to such abandonment….'
[6]
National
Commissioner of Police and Another v Gun Owners of South Africa
2020
(6) SA 69 (SCA).
[7]
Commissioner
for the South African Revenue Service v Candice-Jean van der Merwe
(211/2021)
[2022] ZASCA 106
(30 June 2022).
[8]
The requirements for interim relief are: (1) a
prima
facie
right
though open to some doubt, (2) a well-grounded apprehension that the
right will be irreparably harmed if the interdict is
not granted,
(3) the balance of convenience must favour the award of the
interdict; (4) there must no alternative remedy available
to the
applicant.
Setlogelo
v Setlogelo
1914
AD 221.
[9]
National
Treasury and Others v Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance and
Others
2012
(6) SA 223
(CC).
[10]
Knox
D'Arcy Ltd and Others v Jamieson and Others
[1996]
3 All SA 669 (A).
[11]
Oakdene
Square Properties (Pty) Ltd and Others v Farm Bothasfontein
(Kyalami) (Pty) Ltd and Others
2013
(4) SA 539 (SCA).
[12]
Administrators,
Estate Richards v Nichol and Another
[1998] ZASCA 82
;
1999
(1) SA 551
(SCA) at 561 B O.
[13]
United
Democratic Movement and Another v Lebashe Investment Group (Pty) Ltd
and Others
2022
JDR 2651 (CC) para 48.
[14]
Biowatch Trust v Registrar, Genetic Resources, and Others 2009(6) SA
232 (CC).
sino noindex
make_database footer start
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