r/southafrica 20d ago

Discussion save robberg

my fellow south africans, i feel that it is our duty to stop this from happening. please consider signing the petition, the deadline is 15 May 2026.

Save Robberg

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u/InsidePark7862 20d ago

While I agree that the development is encroaching on a wonderful natural area. The development is several kilometres away from the Robberg Nature reserve. The petition shows disingenuous photos of the Nature Reserve being developed. There are larger developments that are already built and that are much closer.

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u/zodwa_wa_bantu 19d ago

Doesn't it still impact the reserve though? It's not uncommon knowledge that property developers have a tendency to use private property to gatekeep access stop public spaces.

What's stopping them from erecting things like private gates on the roadways to inhibit transport and logistics into the reserve area?

What's stopping them from building waste disposal systems directly affecting the ecosystem?

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u/InsidePark7862 19d ago

The development is 4.5km away from the nature reserve, if they can block access from that far away then they are beyond us mere mortals. And I assume they will make use of the existing infrastructure from the existing developments for waste management. But yes, building anything has an impact on the environment and they need to submit reports, plans etc that will details that. Those reports are not only reviewed by the local government but by environmental review agencies. Obviously there is room for corruption in all of this, but I am not going to accuse someone just because they are building something.

And you keep asking what is stopping them from doing whatever they want, that would be the local government and local residents. It is very easy to take a developer to court in our country, often with free representation.