The City of Cape Town in South Africa has approved plans for a new business and residential complex. What is interesting about the complex is that it

Khoikhoi and San communities are opposing the building of Amazon's Africa headquarters

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2021-06-10 23:00:08

The City of Cape Town in South Africa has approved plans for a new business and residential complex. What is interesting about the complex is that it will house e-commerce giant, Amazon’s headquarters for Africa.

However, these plans could be derailed as the Khoikhoi and San communities have contended that the complex is to be built on land that is sacred for their heritage. The Khoi and San people are specifically arguing that the land is of spiritual significance as it was a battlefield on which the Khoikhoi defended the territory from Portuguese colonizers in 1510.

Based on several accounts of history about relations between the Khoikhoi and the Portuguese, their initial relations and trades were friendly and cordial. The main trade was that the Portuguese would give the Khoikhoi iron in exchange for cattle.

It is reported that some Portuguese sailors one day decided to visit a Khoikhoi village in the modern area and vicinity of Cape Town with the aim of stealing cattle. Unfortunately they were not successful as the Khoikhoi managed to defend against this and chase them back to their ships. However, it didn't end there.