South Africa’s Western Cape Division of the High Court halted construction on Amazon’s new Africa headquarters on Wednesday, ordering the developer to consult with local Indigenous people who say the site is on sacred ground. Judge Patricia Goliath ruled that Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust (LLPT), the site’s developer, must stop construction immediately and conduct “proper and meaningful consultation” with the indigenous Khoi and San people. The ruling represents a victory for groups representing the descendants of South Africa’s first inhabitants, the Khoi and San, who have been campaigning for years to stop the $300 million River Club project. The 37-acre site is spiritually significant and a symbol of resistance to the Khoi and San, as it is where their people’s first resistance against European colonizers took place. In its ruling, Goliath said: This issue is ultimately about the rights of indigenous peoples… The fundamental right to culture and heritage of indigenous groups, most particularly the Khoi and San First Nations Peoples, are under threat. in the absence of proper consultation. The City of Cape Town had approved the construction of the Amazon site in April 2021, describing the development as a “significant boost to the Cape Town economy as the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown lingers”. Since then, activist groups have announced that they will now push for the entire project to be scrapped Tauriq Jenkins, spokesperson for the Goringhaiconaa Khoi Khoin Traditional Indigenous Council also stated: We are going to launch a review of the entire development, including how it was allowed that the project proceeded against Cape Town’s own environmental laws.