Heritage Cases

EDF Renewables are developing the authorised Phezukomoya Wind Energy Facility (WEF) on a number of farms east and south of Noupoort (Figure 1). The WEF has been subject to two archaeological assessments: in 2017 as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process (Hart et al, 2017a) and in 2019 as part of a Part 2 EA Amendment Application when the authorised WEF was split into two: the Phezukomoya and Hartebeesthoek West WEFs (Gribble & Euston-Brown, 2019a). More recently ACO Associates was commissioned to undertake the pre-construction survey required as a condition (No. 37, 38 and 138) of the Environmental Authorisation for the WEF issued in October 2021. The aim of the survey was to ground truth the authorised wind turbine generator (WTG) positions, internal WEF cable and roads alignments, substation sites, laydown areas, etc., to identify heritage resources which may be impacted by the construction, operation and decommissioning of the WEF, to assess their significance and provide recommendations for mitigation that can be incorporated into the project Environmental Management Programme. The walkdown survey (Gribble & Euston-Brown, 2022) identified two sites that will be impacted by the construction of an access road for the WEF: - KFT001 is a historical ashheap or midden, probably associated with the nearby Kleinfontein farm complex measuring approximately 30 x 7 m in extent and with a possible depth of deposit of about 20 cm. The site is heavily bioturbated by ground squirrels but is rich in bone, mid- to late19th century ceramics, glass, metal (Figure 3, Plate 1 - Plate 3). - KFT002 is a large and dense scatter of LSA lithics in erosion gullies and on sheetwash on a slope below a shale outcrop. Visible in area of approximately 80 x 150 m, the lithics include substantial numbers of endscrapers typical of the both the Lockshoek and Smithfield (Figure 4, Plate 4 - Plate 6). Gribble & Euston-Brown (2022) recommended that both sites should be sampled by a professional archaeologist prior to the commencement of construction work.