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Archaeological Scoping Report for the Proposed Stormberg Renewable Energy Project, Sterkstroom District, Eastern Cape Prepared for Savannah Environmental (Pty) Ltd By Postnet Suite# 426 Private Bag X4 Wierda Park 0149 VERSION 1.1 14 JUNE 2013 20 JUNE 2013 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT CLIENT: Savannah Environmental (Pty) Ltd CONTACT PERSON: Steven Ingle Tel: 011 656 3237 Cell: 072 386 9815 Fax: 086 684 0547 E – mail: [email protected] SIGNATURE: ____________________________ LEADING CONSULTANT: Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC CONTACT PERSON: Jaco van der Walt Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting Professional Member of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologist (#159) I, Jaco van der Walt as duly authorised representative of Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC, hereby confirm my independence as a specialist and declare that neither I nor the Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC have any interest, be it business, financial, personal or other, in any proposed activity, application or appeal in respect of which Savannah Environmental was appointed as Environmental Assessment practitioner, other than fair remuneration for work performed on this project. SIGNATURE: ______________________________ 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Site name and location: The Stormberg Renewable Energy Project is located approximately 12km north east of Sterkstroom and 25km east of Molteno in the Eastern Cape Province. The scoping study covered the following farm portions that exceeds 13000 ha in extent: Section 5 of the farm Leeuwe Fontein 24; Section 5 (Langlaagte) of the Farm Nooitgedacht No.25; the remainder of Section 1 of the farm Nooitgedacht 25; Section 9 of the farm Nooitgedacht 25; Remainder of the farm Nooitgedacht 152; Portion 2 of the farm Nooigedacht 154; Remainder of Portion 1 of the farm Drooge Fontein 155; Remainder of the Farm Drooge Fontein No. 151; Portions 5 and 6 of the farm Schilder Krantz 177; Portion 3 of the farm Jansen Fontein 178; the farm Gelegen Fontein 179; Remainder of the farm Valsch Fontein 180; Portions 0, 1, 2, 3 and remainder of the farm Pen Hoek 181; Portions 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and remainder of the farm Stones Beacon 187; Portion 2 of the farm Schoemans Kraal 188; Portion 6 of the farm De Boulogne 176; Portions 0, 2, 3 and 5 of the farm Klip Plaat 22. 1: 50 000 Topographic Map: 3126 BC, BD, DA and DB EIA Consultant: Savannah Environmental (Pty) Ltd. Developer: Networx Eolos Renewables (Pty) Ltd (Networx) Heritage Consultant: Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC (HCAC). Contact person: Jaco van der Walt Tel: +27 82 373 8491 E –mail [email protected]. Date of Report: 13 June 2013 Findings of the Assessment: The scoping report was compiled using information on the study area, derived from CRM work in the immediate vicinity of the study area, archaeological databases and maps of the area. Surface scatter MSA artefacts are expected over large parts of the study area together with LSA sites with a higher density of artefacts expected on rocky ridges and koppies. Several known shelters with rock art and a shelter used during colonial times are on record for the study area. There are also several grave sites on record and more are expected in the study area. From the archival study and maps several ruins of unknown age are indicated in the study area. As the area was inhabited by settlers and farmers from the early 1920’s some of these structures may well be older than 60 years and therefor are protected by legislation. An Archaeological Impact Assessment should be conducted on the area to determine and confirm areas of heritage significance. Grave sites and shelters should be avoided while open air MSA and LSA Scatters can be mitigated. Disclaimer: Although all possible care is taken to identify sites of cultural importance during the investigation of study areas, it is always possible that hidden or sub-surface sites could be overlooked during the study. Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC and its personnel will not be held liable for such oversights or for costs incurred as a result of such oversights. Copyright: Copyright in all documents, drawings and records whether manually or electronically produced, which form part of the submission and any subsequent report or project document shall vest in Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC. None of the documents, drawings or records may be used or applied in any manner, nor may they be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever for or to any other person, without the prior written consent of Heritage Contracts and Archaeological 4 Consulting CC. The Client, on acceptance of any submission by Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC and on condition that the Client pays to Heritage Contracts and Archaeological Consulting CC the full price for the work as agreed, shall be entitled to use for its own benefit and for the specified project only: . The results of the project; . The technology described in any report Recommendations delivered to the Client. 5 Contents ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... 9 GLOSSARY .............................................................................................................. 9 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 10 1.2 Terms of Reference ................................................................................... 12 1.3 Nature of the development ........................................................................ 12 1.3.1. The proposed Stormberg Wind Energy Facility .......................................... 12 1.3.2. The proposed Stormberg Solar Energy Facility .......................................... 13 1.3.3 The proposed power lines for grid connection ............................................ 13 1.4 The receiving environment ......................................................................... 13 2. APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 15 2.1 Literature search ...................................................................................... 15 2.2 Information collection................................................................................ 15 2.3 Public consultation .................................................................................... 15 2.4 Google Earth and mapping survey .............................................................. 15 2.5 Genealogical Society of South Africa ........................................................... 15 3. LEGISLATION .................................................................................................... 16 3.1 Heritage Site Significance and Mitigation Measures ....................................... 17 4. REGIONAL OVERVIEW ........................................................................................ 18 4.1 General Information .................................................................................. 18 4.2 Archaeological Background ........................................................................ 18 4.2.1. Stone Age ............................................................................................ 18 4.2.2. Iron Age (general) ................................................................................ 20 5. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................ 21 5.1. Historiography And Methodology ............................................................... 21 5.2.Maps Of The Area Under Investigation ......................................................... 31 5.3. A Brief History Of Human Settlement And Black And White Interaction In The Stormberg Area ............................................................................................. 34 5.4. Historical Overview Of The Ownership And Development Of The Farms Under Investigation ................................................................................................. 36 6 PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE OF SITES ............................................................. 49 7. ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS ...................................................................... 50 8. FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 50 8.1. Archaeology ............................................................................................ 55 8.1.1 Archaeological finds ............................................................................... 55 8.1.2 Nature of Impact ................................................................................... 56 8.1.3 Extent of impact .................................................................................... 56 8.2. Historical period ...................................................................................... 56 8.2.1 Historical finds: I ................................................................................... 56 8.2.2 Nature of Impact ................................................................................... 56 8.2.3 Extent of impact .................................................................................... 56 8.3. Burials and Cemeteries ............................................................................. 56 8.3.1 Burials and Cemeteries