Heritage Cases

The developers obtained 99-year leasehold rights on erven 22011 and 1/22011, Bloemfontein, from the owner of the properties, the Dutch Reformed Church of the Free State. MPC Developers intend to develop the two properties as a hospital complex (erf 1/22011) as well as a Heritage Lifestyle Centre with commercial, business, retail, hospitality, residential and heritage components (erf 22011). The latter site contains an existing monument, the ‘Bron van Herinnering’ (Grade II), as well as a small dam locally known as the ‘Dam van Trane’ (Grade II), both associated with the Bloemfontein concentration camp. Both these elements, as well as a small cone-shaped memorial (Grade IIIB) and four of the six water troughs (Grade IIIB) are incorporated into the plans for the new development. In addition to this, a small on-site museum on the concentration camp as well as an amphitheatre is also planned as part of designated heritage areas. (The SAHRA-approved mitigation measures include the relocation of two of the water troughs to the Anglo-Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein.) The ABW concentration camps form an important part of South Africa’s history and served in the immediate post-ABW years to forge a strong Afrikaner cohesion. Although there were casualties on both sides of the war, it wiped out almost an entire generation of Afrikaners in the two former Boer Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State in terms of the number of deaths of children under 18 years of age. As a minority group in South Africa then, as it is now, it had a huge economic effect in the long run on the Afrikaner communities at a personal level. Understandably, concentration camp areas serve as visual reminders of this momentous event in the history of South Africa. A decision to condone development in such an area will therefore not be without the assurance that the memory of its original function will be kept alive for future generations as part of the South African heritage. There are several reasons why sensitive development is preferred to the status quo, namely: 1. The development area contains only a small section (the Dam van Trane) of the ABW-related sites and activities and what remains will be better served and preserved as part of the proposed development and as part of the Anglo-Boer War Museum’s collections. 2. In addition to this, the development area did not form part of any of the actual ABW concentration camps for women and children, but the Dam van Trane (which is described as having been some distance from the camps) was used by the inhabitants of these camps. This, however, will be preserved and incorporated into the development plans and will have a stronger possibility of survival than is currently the case. 3. The erection of the Bron van Herinneringe monument complex on the site was a positive move in commemorating the concentration camps in a visible and positive manner, but due to its location in an unbuilt area is not safe to visit (should one be able to gain access to the area). This development would, accordingly, make the monument more accessible to the general public. 4. Incorporating the four heritage components dating to and/or commemorating the women and children of the ABW into the development of the area, including the addition of an on-site museum and amphitheatre, brings it back into the public sphere and is considered a move from exclusivity to inclusivity which will ensure its survival, as well as the memory of concentration camps, in future years. The museum would provide information that is not currently available on the site and the amphitheatre will ensure that future celebrations on the 16th of December, as is currently the practice, can continue. For this purpose a conservation management plan (CMP) for the heritage components will form a vital part of the development plans. 5. In terms of the ABW events, the site has already potentially been compromised by its use for a second internment camp for German women and children during WWI. However, the latter merits further research and it is important that as mitigation measure all surface material should be collected under permit in a systematic and scientific manner before development can take place and curated in a museum for future potential research projects on the military landscape of Tempe. It should be noted that no middens were discovered within the development area and it is very unlikely that any existed during either the ABW or WW1 period on account of its location on what was then referred to as ‘dorpsgronde’ (townlands). Bloemfontein then already had a very strict rule for waste management and a specific area was designated for any waste from the military camps. 6. The water troughs are fast deteriorating and the relocation of some of them to the Anglo-Boer War Museum for curation would ensure its survival as part of the military history of Bloemfontein. 7. The palaeontological impact assessment is negative in terms of any potential palaeontological deposits. SURFACE FINDS: During the archaeological investigation of the site it was noted that, although limited, the surface finds indicate the presence of only women and children. However, several of the finds indicate a period postdating the ABW, yet earlier than approximately 1920. A further literature search for information on this revealed that there was an internment camp for Austrian women and children at Tempe – the military base at Bloemfontein – during World War I. At this stage Tempe was already an official military base and belonged to the Department of Defence. A single archival record, however, refers to the town council having granted the military base permission to use ‘dorpsgronde’ for this internment camp. Since the current development area falls immediately outside the boundaries of the military base and was since the ABW used by the military, e.g. for pasture for their horses (on account of the availability of a natural water source on the property), it would explain why early documentation refers to the WW1 internment camp to have been at Tempe. The development area was thoroughly documented during the initial archaeological survey and together with an analysis of the surface material collection might shed more light on this. The results of this will form part of the on-site museum that is included in the development plans. It should be noted that the erection of a small museum onsite is one of the provisos for the development and leasehold rights granted by the Dutch Reformed Church.