The fight continues to save the bushbabies
The fight continues to save the bushbabies.
On 15 March a group of protesters, 11 in total, gathered at the small sliver of land next to the Waterford Estate off of Witkoppen Road to continue their protest against development on the ground, which threatens a rare colony of lesser bushbabies who live there.
The action was sparked by news earlier in the week that Tyto Property Developers had stepped down as project managers for the site, which is officially named the Straight Development.
“Tyto hereby confirms it has resigned from the position of project manager for the above development,” read a press statement released by the construction company.
“Tyto have decided that due to the community sensitivity and controversy surrounding the current application for the development, it was no longer appropriate for it to be involved in the project.”
The project to build 13 residences on the piece of land was first announced in 2016 but has faced fierce opposition from locals and environmentalists since 2017.
Tyto’s statement went on to say that the owners of the property, Raven Oak Property Investments (Pty) Ltd, was aware of Tyto’s resignation and would make a public statement on the matter in the future after considering its position.
“I want to say a big thank you to Tyto for doing the right thing,” said Surita Volland, who has led the efforts to halt the development.
“The legal appeal [to stop construction all together in the area] is still ongoing, and we are waiting on those results.”
The protest held on 15 March also seemed to have an effect on businesses involved in the project currently – staff from HQ Plumbing, who had been contracted two weeks ago to dig a trench on the land, were confronted by the protesters on the day.
“The aim was to stop their digging with a bobcat [construction machine], as according to an agreement all work done in the area must be done by hand until the results of the appeal are known,” explained Nicole McDonald, who does the digital marketing on behalf of the protesters.
“It worked.”
When contacted by the Fourways Review a few hours after the protest, Quinton Minnaar, the owner of HQ Plumbing confirmed that his staff had stopped digging but he could not say if the stoppage would be permanent.
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