South African court halts controversial Amazon HQ project

A court in South Africa's Cape Town has ordered a halt to the construction of global e-commerce giant, Amazon’s new African headquarters.

According to the Western Cape interdict ordering the suspension, the deputy judge president Patricia Goliath said all construction should be suspended till the “conclusion of meaningful engagement and consultation with all affected First Nations Peoples.”

The

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The project estimated at 4.6bn rand (£235m; $310m) was originally slated for a piece of land considered as sacred for local Khoi and San people and had previously generated controversy in the country - Africa's most industralized nation.

The BBC reported that there had been mixed reaction among representatives of the affected communities.

The Africa LIVE page quoted one Tariq Jenkins, who brought the court application against Amazon as saying: “Our heritage is not for sale.”

Meanwhile, a group known as the First Nations Collective has said it would urgently appeal against the judgement.