Heritage Cases

On 17 March 2023, Mr Sangweni lodged a request with Tendele Mining to assist him in locating the grave of his sister who died in 1968, when he was still a small child. The claim was registered and as a part to resolve the matter a GPR assessment and test excavations were requested to assist with the location of the gravel. A site visit was conducted with PGS Heritage in attendance on 23 May 2023 to assess the suitability of the area for the above-mentioned actions to be undertaken. Mr Sangweni took the team to where the homestead was located (it was demolished in 2009). He indicated that the grave was situated right next to his grandmother's house. At the time of the burial, the house (that is visible in the 1988 aerial photograph) behind which the grave was situated at the time of the demolishing of the property, was not yet constructed. According to Mr Sangweni, at the time, the grave was marked by a small concentration of stones that is not, currently visible on the surface. An assessment of old topographical maps shows that no graves are depicted on the 1943 and 1966 maps; the area was mostly covered in vegetation or used for agriculture. On the 1999 map the site is located next to a structure and agricultural fields (First, Second and Third Edition 2832AC 1:50 000 Topographic sheet). Even though no burial grounds are depicted on these topographical maps, they might not have been recorded during the initial survey. Furthermore, it should also be noted that not all informal burial grounds were recorded and documented as part of property surveys. The following methodology will be followed during the GPR survey. The GPR survey aims to detect any anomalies consistent with the burial in the surrounding soil matrix. 1) Any feature will be documented and together with the surrounding area, will then be cleared of any vegetation that might obstruct the use of the GPR equipment. 2) Any stone and soil mounds marking the features will then be levelled by hand. Continuous documentation will ensure that it can be reconstructed after the GPR survey. 3) A survey grid will be laid out over the area of approximately 20m x 20m (this may increase once the on-site conditions are determined) to be scanned. The area will be as large as possible. During the GPR survey, the area indicated by the Sangweni family will be investigated. 4) Radargrams will be collected every 25cm on both the X-of the grid. If needed, the Y-axis will also be surveyed. 5) The data will be processed to see if any anomalies consistent with the presence of a grave are present. Additional to the vertical radargrams, the post-processing software will also produce horizontal slices every 5cm -10cm. The following methodology will be followed during the test excavations. This method aims to remove enough of the topsoil until a clear display of the soil stratigraphy beneath is revealed. 1) As mentioned above, the area will be documented, and the surface cleared of all debris and photographed. All observations regarding construction, materials and characteristics of the surface features (if any) are documented. 2) The topsoil is then carefully removed by hand using 1mx1m test pits. The GPR grid will be used for the test excavations. Observations will be made of the changing soil matrix and any patterns in stratigraphy indicating a grave pit. 3) Any archaeological features are noted and photographed. The presence of a burial pit can normally be ascertained by differences in the soil matrix. This would include a change in soil colour and/or texture due to prior disturbance if a pit or other alteration in the stratigraphy took place. 4) The area will not be fully excavated and will be backfilled afterwards irrespective of the outcome of the investigation. Once the GPR survey and test excavations have been completed, the area will be restored to its previous condition and the findings will be reported to the Sangweni family and Tendele Mining for possible further action.