Test case for environmental activists
In what is seen as a landmark case in the Pretoria High Court that is expected to clarify the rights of environmental activists, a developer is suing an activist for R40m in damages for defamation.
The suit against Arthur Barnes, a former secretary of the Rhenosterspruit Conservancy near Lanseria in Gauteng, has been brought by developer Wraypex. It arises from the conservancys opposition to a 330-house luxury estate, golf course and hotel development, Blair Atholl, north-west of Johannesburg. The development borders on both the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and the conservancy, notes a Mail & Guardian Online report. It is the first of five defamation cases that Wraypex plans to bring against members of the conservancy, claiming a total of R210m in damages. Among Wraypexs claims is that Barnes maliciously spread rumours that the company had not submitted a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, and that Blair Atholl was illegally pumping water out of the Crocodile River. Wraypex also claims that Barnes accused the company of bribing government officials in order to get the go-ahead for the development. Full Mail & Guardian online report