The River Club in Observatory is a great spot to hit a few balls at the driving range, attempt to nail a par at least once on the nine-hole mashie course, or grab a beer and a bite to eat whilst judging the golf swings of others.

Those who pay close attention know that there has long been talk of a controversial new River Club development, with the latest rumour doing the rounds involving claims that developers plan on building a replica of Canal Walk.

The man at the centre of it all, Jody Aufrichtig, has now hit back angrily, saying that he is “sick of all the lies”. Over to IOL:

“It has been frustrating having people lie about what we are planning, a lot of people have fabricated what we have said.

“It’s hard hearing that we have never engaged with anyone when we have spoken to various role-players in the community on a number of occasions.”

“What we want to do is create a development blending different cultures and socio-economic strata.

“I want to make a nice safe environment for the community and not only for Observatory, but for Rondebosch, Langa and Khayelitsha.”

Aufrichtig was speaking publicly for the first time, although the community of Observatory has been voicing its objections for the past seven years.

Residents fear that the development could negatively affect the Liesbeeck River and the area’s history:

The Two Rivers Urban Park is located at the confluence of the Black and Liesbeeck rivers, about 5km from the city centre.

Because of its environment and history, the area has become ideal for a development that could enhance job creation. The redevelopment of the River Club in Observatory is set to cost R4 billion that will include residential, retail and commercial components including a hotel, offices, conference centre and even schools…

The redevelopment will supply over 5 239 jobs during the construction period with a total value of R1.6bn, as well as contributing 13 700 indirect and induced jobs. Twenty percent of the residential space will be dedicated to inclusionary housing for key workers, according to Aufrichtig, those key workers include policemen, nurses and teachers.

All of the delays have hit Aufrichtig’s pockets hard, and he claims that despite paying upwards of R1 million to maintain the area, it’s now become a dumping ground.

He hopes that construction will begin in early 2021, but that could be further pushed out as recently, at a special council meeting of Heritage Western Cape, the area’s protection status was upheld.

Residents clearly won’t be giving up without a fight:

Tauriq Jenkins, the chairperson of the Observatory Civic Association said: “This is a battle of restorative justice (It) has deep historical roots. It’s important for all the stakeholders to take note. This is a very sacred ground.”

You can read more on the residents’ concerns here.

Enjoy bashing your ball around the driving range, or the mashie course, while you still can.

[source:iol]