Heritage Cases

Major developments, including coal-fired power stations, industrial and mining operations are planned for the Waterberg Coalfields area which is located in the Lephalale area. This then means that the future demand for water around Lephalale is expected to increase significantly. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is thus proposing to transfer water from Crocodile River to the Lephalale area which is located within both Thabazimbi and Lephalale Local Municipalities of Waterberg District Municipality of Limpopo Province. The project includes abstraction works, pumping stations and pipelines as well as the associated infrastructure and the implementation of measures to mitigate the impact of the project on both the natural and social environment. The augmentation is required to supply water to coal-fired power stations, including related mining operations and associated developments. The Water Transfer Infrastructure (WTI) is largely located on privately-owned properties that are mainly used for agriculture and game-farming. Initially and as part of the proposal, an archaeological study was conducted in 2018 as well as in 2020 by Polke Birkholtz and Stephan Gaigher respectively. A total of 18 archaeological and heritage sites were identified during the survey. However, after further investigation, it was determined that four sites will need to be further investigated and mitigated. Nevertheless, upon further assessment by Vhubvo Consultancy it was concluded that only two sites, MCWAP Site 3 and BP 53 will be affected by the proposal. The two sites comprise large irregular-shaped stone concentration with no clear function or origin. Past experience has shown that in some cases stillborn babies were buried in close proximity to homesteads of the parents’ dwelling. it is not presently certain whether the stone concentration of stones on these sites represents the remains of a homestead or not. Considering the uncertainty in regard to the context of these sites, we are requesting to conduct a GPR survey and test excavations in the two-areas measuring 10 square meter each. This application is exclusively for test examination, and pertains to Section 36(3) of the National Heritage Resources Act (Act 25 of 1999).