South African court halts construction of Amazon HQ on sacred land

FILE PHOTO: Contested land earmarked for a development which includes a new Africa headquarters for Amazon is seen alongside the Black River in Cape Town, South Africa, June 2, 2021. Picture taken June 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/File Photo

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - A South African court has halted construction of Amazon's new Africa headquarters after some descendants of the country's earliest inhabitants said the land it would be built on was sacred.

The Western Cape division of the High Court interdicted the project developer from continuing with works at the Cape Town site until there had been meaningful engagement and consultation with affected indigenous peoples.