Heritage Cases

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF GRAVES The graves are situated in an informal cemetery on the Farm Midway 2631 (Appendix A, phase 2) and are located within the area earmarked for the expansion of National Route 8 (N8). The cemetery is located on the southern side of the road, at the following coordinates: -29.11463; 26.32346 and consists of 4 clearly marked graves that have been identified by the next-of-kin and an unknown number of possible graves. Due to the age of the cemetery, and the fact that the cemetery was during recent years continually flooded due to irrigation and then trampled by livestock, surface visibility of the graves are extremely poor. The exact number of graves is therefore unknown. For the purpose of this application, it is assumed that there are approximately 20 graves present in this cemetery. This number can change when we start the physical relocation process. We will conduct a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of the cemetery before the relocation to try and assess the extent of the cemetery and the number of graves. GPR results can however not be guaranteed due to various factors outside of our control. SOCIAL CONSULTATION During April 2014, a social consultation process was initiated to relocate a cemetery containing 126 graves on the northern side of the N8 (Appendix B – D, phase 1), not far from the cemetery that is the subject of this application (phase 2). Three social consultation meetings were held with the next-of-kin of these graves before SANRAL decided to rather extend the road to the southern side in order to avoid relocating this large number of graves. Unfortunately, there is another cemetery located on the southern side of the N8 that now needs to be relocated (Appendix E). During the last of the meetings mentioned above, the attendees were asked if they have any knowledge of the cemetery that is mentioned in this application. One of the attendees gave us the name of Mr. Piet Sebothelo (see below). A new social consultation process commenced on, 15 September 2014 with the erection of bilingual (English and Setswana) site notices (Appendix E) and newspaper notices in the Daily Sun (11 November 2014) and the Mangaung Issue (12 November 2014) (Appendix F). A 30 second radio notice was aired on Lesedi FM 10 times between 11 March and 15 March 2015 (Appendix H). One person contacted PGS as a result of the radio broadcast but on investigation it turned out that this person’s graves are located in another cemetery closer to the airport. To date no additional family members or affected parties, other than those stated in this application, have contacted PGS Heritage with further information relating to these graves in question. On 14 November 2014 a site meeting was held with the Sebothelo family. Mr Piet Basoabile Sebothelo (331116 5133 081), the representative of the Sebothelo family, requested that their four relatives who are buried in this cemetery be relocated to a cemetery in Thaba Nchu, Zone 4 (Appendix I). The Sebothelo family did not have any additional information about other leads to additional affected families. Therefore only four (4) of the approximately twenty (20) graves were positively identified. To clarify matters we have allocated the affected graves to the following categories: Graves older than 100 years (Section 35 of Act 25 of 1999): None Graves older than 60 years (Section 36 of Act 25 of 1999): None Graves of victims of conflict (Section 36 of Act 25 of 1999): None Graves of individuals of royal decent (Section 36 of Act 25 of 1999): None Graves younger than 60 years that are located outside a registered cemetery (Ordinance 7 of 1925, Section 36 of Act 25 of 1999, Ordinance 12 of 1980): 4 Graves identified by the next of kin but of which the date of death is presently unknown None Presently unknown graves/possible graves(Section 36 of Act 25 of 1999): ±16 Total ±20 REBURIAL OF REMAINS The Sebothelo family requested that their four relative be reinterred in Thaba Nchu Cemetery. The unknown graves will be buried in the closest municipal cemetery (South Park) with full details of how the graves were reburied in the same manner as previously found. Name of Cemetery Responsible Municipality / Tribal Authority Number of Graves South Park Cemetery Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality ±16 Thaba Nchu, Zone 4 Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality 4