Heritage Cases

MOTIVATING MEMORANDUM TOTAL DEMOLTION OF BUILDING ON ERF 43867 KIMBERLEY, CNR ROPER & STEAD STREETS APPLICATION: Application is herewith made in terms of Section 34(1) of the NHRA for the total demolition of the buildings on Erf 43857 Kimberley, situated at the corner of Roper- and Stead Street. LOCALITY: The subject property is situated on Erf 43867 at the corner of Roper- and Stead Street, Kimberley in the municipal jurisdiction of the Sol Plaatjies Local Municipality. The property forms part of the NTT Motor Dealership. ** The Locality Map with Aerial Photograph is attached as Annexure A. OWNERSHIP AND POWER OF ATTORNEY: The property is currently registered in the name of NTT Motors 384 (Pty) Ltd under Title Deed T659/2019. West Rand Heritage Consultants was appointed by the owner to motivate an application in terms of Section 34(1) for the total demolition of building. The demolished area will be incorporated with the motor dealership as open parking for stock ** Proof of ownership is attached as Annexure B. ** A copy of the Power of Attorney is attached as Annexure C. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Kimberley is the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is located approximately 110 km east of the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The city has considerable historical significance due to its diamond mining past and the siege during the Second Boer War. British businessmen Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato made their fortunes in Kimberley, and Rhodes established the De Beers diamond company in the early days of the mining town. The diggings shifts from frontier farm names to digger camp names to the established names of the towns of Kimberley and Beaconsfield – which duly amalgamated in 1912. The only traces of any precolonial settlement within the city's boundaries are scatters of Stone Age artefacts and there is no record of what the place/s might have been called before the first nineteenth century frontier overlay of farm names. It lay beyond the areas occupied by Tswana people in the precolonial period. Sites such as the nearby Wildebeest Kuil testify to a Khoe–San history dating up into the nineteenth century. In the post-1994 era the Kimberley City Council was renamed the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality after the area it served was expanded to include surrounding towns and villages, most notably Ritchie. Sol Plaatje, the prominent writer and activist, lived for much of his life in Kimberley. Similarly, the erstwhile Diamantveld District Council became the Frances Baard District Municipality, with reference to the trade unionist, Frances Baard, who was born in Greenpoint, Kimberley. The subject property belonged in the 1950’s apparently to Stewarts and Loyds of SA Ltd according to an undated drawing for a new garage. Southey Street Motors (Pty) Ltd was established in 1953. It was started by four big Kimberley wholesale companies, namely Awerbuck Brown and Company; S. Apter and Company; A. David and Company and GM hunter and Company. A full Volkswagen franchise was awarded to Southey Street Motors in 1955, followed by an Audi franchise in 1965. (Northern Cape Express, May 28, 2014). Southey Street Motors’ ownership of the subject property was registered under title deed T1837/2013. The initial garage was converted for V & C Welding Requirements (Kimberley) for compatible use as Gas Cylinder Filling and Storage facility according to Drawing 154/92. The subject property was consolidated in 2017 from Erf 8532 Ptn 0; Erf 8342 Ptn 0; Erf 8343 Ptn 0; and Erf 35700 Ptn 0. The property was transferred from Southey Street Motors into the name of NTT Motors 384 (Pty) Ltd in 2019 under title deed T659/2019. ** Refer to Annexure D for copies of original drawings SIGNIFICANCE AND CONDITION: The general condition of the building on the property is good, but it needs maintenance and repairs. The building apparently dates the late 1940’s or early 1950’s according to an undated and fairly illegible drawing as mentioned above. The building has no heritage or architectural significance that warrant the conservation thereof. No features or fabric of significance were found in the interior of the building. Demolition of the building will have no impact on the street scape. ** Refer to Annexure E for more photographs The owner intends to demolish the building on the subject site and to incorporate the space into the NTT Motor Dealership for open parking of stock. The Site Development Plan was already approved by the Sol Plaatjies Local Municipality in September 2014 ** Refer to Annexure F for the Site Development Plan The attached heritage significance and conservation-worthiness of Erf 43867 is argued against the above historical background, photographs and available drawings. The heritage significance of the building is rated low. Demolition will have no impact on the heritage significance of Kimberley or the immediate neighbourhood. Incorporating the premises into the bigger NTT Motor Dealership will be economically beneficial to the community. ** Refer to Annexure G for the Assessment of Conservation-worthiness PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Notices informing the public in general of the intended demolition of buildings on Erf 43867 Kimberley appeared in The Star on the 6th March 2020. A copy of the notice was also displayed at the boundary of the properties. No comments or objections to the demolition were received. ** Copies of the public notices are attached as Annexure H. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: West Rand Heritage Consultants conclude that the heritage significance of Erf 43978 Kimberley is rated low. The existing buildings are not conservation-worthy. West Rand Heritage Consultants recommend that the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority approves the application for total demolition of the buildings on this site.