Heritage Impact Assessment of the Proposed 150 Pv

MESO Heritage Consultants 3783 Amberfield Valley, Centurion PRETORIA

E: [email protected]/ [email protected] C: 083 5470 851

HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSED 150 PV SOLAR ENERGY FACILITY, ON PORTION 2 OF FARM ROODE PAN, ORANIA, THEMBELIHLE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, PIXLEY KA SEME DISTRICT NORTHERN CAPE

Author

Dr Dipuo Winnie Kgotleng Managing Director, MSc, PhD Archaeology, Wits

Date of report 31 March 2017

Managing Director: D.W. Kgotleng, PhD Archaeology, Wits Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

1. COMMISSIONING COMPANY

COMPANY ECOCOMPLIANCE PTY LTD Contact Person: Mr. Percy Ngidi Developer Solar Capital Pty Ltd Address 47 Main Road Green Point CAPE TOWN 8501 Cell: 082 8023 728 Email: [email protected]

2. PARTICULARS OF THE HERITAGE SPECIALIST

COMPANY MESO HERITAGE CONSULTANTS Author Dr Dipuo Winnie Kgotleng Qualifications: MSc, PhD Archaeology, University of the Witwatersrand Professional Affiliation: Association for Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) Member no 197 Physical address 3783 Amberfield Valley Centurion, PRETORIA 0157 Cell 0835470 851 Email address [email protected]

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

3. RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS

The project scope is located in the Northern Cape Province and therefore lies under the jurisdiction of the Northern Cape Heritage Authority, the contact details of which are described below.

HERITAGE AUTHORITY NORTHERN CAPE HERITAGE RESOURCES AUTHORITY Contact person Andrew R Timothy Heritage Officer Ngwao Bošwa ya Kapa Bokone 1 Roper Street KIMBERLEY, 8300 Tel. 053 831 2537 Fax. 053 833 1435 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

4. COPY RIGHT:

This report is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed or to whom it was meant to be addressed. It is provided only for the purposes set out in it and may not, in whole or in part, be used for any other purpose or by a third party, without the author’s prior written consent.

5. DECLARATION:

I, D.W. Kgotleng, declare that I do not have any financial or personal interest in the proposed development, its developers or any of their affiliates, apart from the provision of heritage assessment and management services.

Dr Dipuo Winnie Kgotleng Managing Director, MSc, PhD Archaeology, Wits

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

CONTENTS

1. COMMISSIONING COMPANY ...... i 2. PARTICULARS OF THE HERITAGE SPECIALIST ...... i 3. RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS ...... ii 4. COPY RIGHT: ...... ii 5. DECLARATION: ...... ii 6. LIST OF FIGURES ...... v 7. LIST OF TABLES ...... vi 8. ACRONYMS ...... vii 9. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 1 10. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT ...... 2 a) a). Description of proposed activity ...... 3 b) Terms of Reference ...... 3 11. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS ...... 3 12. METHODOLOGY ...... 5 a) Desktop Assessment ...... 5 b) Field Survey ...... 6 13. HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND REPORT COMPILATION ...... 6 a) Assessing significance ...... 6 b) Site Grading ...... 7 c) Report compilation ...... 8 14. DESKTOP ASESSMENT: BACKGROUND TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HERITAGE HISTORY OF THE AREA ...... 8 a) Prehistory of the Northern Cape region ...... 8 b) The palaeontological phase ...... 9 c) The archaeology ...... 9 ii) The Middle Stone Age (MSA) ...... 9 iii) The Later Stone Age (LSA) ...... 10 iv) The Iron Age ...... 10

iii

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

v) The Colonial/historical phase ...... 10 d) Previous relevant impact assessments ...... 11 15. Description of the affected environment ...... 15 16. THE ASESSMENT ...... 15 a) The finds ...... 15 b) Burial grounds and Graves ...... 15 c) Field Rating ...... 15 d) Statement of Significance ...... 16 17. RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 16 18. RESTRICTIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS ...... 16 19. CONCLUSIONS ...... 16 20. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 16 21. BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 17

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

6. LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. The location of Orania within the Northern Cape Province 2 Figure 2. Portion 2 of the Farm Roode Pan in Orania 2 Figure 3. The site plan of the proposed PV Solar development (in blue) within Portion 13 2 of the Farm Roode Pan in Orania (in red) Figures 4a and 4b. A southwest view of the RoodePan Farm site, Orania 14 14 Figures 5a and 5b. A southern view of the site (a) and a northwestern view (b) of the 14 site with Orania town on the horizon.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

7. LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Definitions of Site/object significance 6 Table 2. Site/Object grading and associated mitigation measures 7 Table 3 Significance rating and associated action 8

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

8. ACRONYMS

AD Anno Domini (After Death) AIA Archaeological Impact Assessment Bya Billion Years Ago ESA Earlier Stone Age GIS Geographic Information Systems HIA Heritage Impact Assessment HTA Human Tissues Act 65 of 1983 LSA Later Stone Age Ma Million Years Ago MPRDA Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 MSA Middle Stone Age NHRA National Heritage Resources Act 25 of 1999 NEMA National Environmental Management Act 56 of 2002 NEMPAA National Environment Management Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003 NCHA Northern Cape Heritage Authority SAHRA South African Heritage Resources Agency SAHRIS South African Heritage Resources Information System

vii

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

9. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

MESO Heritage Consultants (Pty) Ltd was commissioned by Ecocompliance Pty Ltd to embark on an Archaeological and Heritage Impact assessment of the proposed 150 PV Solar Energy facility, on Portion 2 of farm RoodePan, Orania, Thembelihle Local Municipality, Pixley Ka Seme District, Northern Cape. The Heritage Impact Assessment was undertaken to identify heritage resources in the project area.

The project area lies south of the Orange river on the R369 regional road, southwest of the Orania Town.

The site has not yielded any heritage or archaeological materials and the rest of the materials identified are not of any archaeological or heritage significance.

Based on the archaeological and heritage impact assessment undertaken, development of the 450MW Photovoltaic solar facility is supported.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

Figure 1. The location of Orania within the Northern Cape Province

Figure 2. Portion 2 of the Farm Roode Pan in Orania (in red) . source www.sahra.org.za/sahris/map/palaeo

10. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT

MESO Heritage Consultants (Pty) Ltd was appointed by Eco-compliance Pty Ltd to undertake an Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessment on Portion 2 of farm RoodePan, Orania, Thembelihle Local Municipality, Pixley Ka Seme District in the Northern Cape.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

a) a). Description of proposed activity

The proposed development is a construction of a 20 Mega Watt 150 Photo Voltaic solar energy Facility on Portion 2 of the Farm Roode Pan in Orania, Northern Cape.

The conditions of the assessment are to:  identify all objects, sites, occurrences and structures if an archaeological or historical nature (cultural heritage sites) located on the property,  assess the significance of the cultural resources in terms of their archaeological, historical scientific, social religious, aesthetic and tourism, and, where applicable  make recommendations on the impact of the proposed development on those resources

b) Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for the project are to:  Review applicable legislative requirements,  Identify all objects, sites, occurrences and structures if an archaeological or historical nature (cultural heritage sites) located on the property,  Assess the significance of the cultural resources in terms of their archaeological, historical scientific, social religious, aesthetic and tourism,  Describe the possible impact of the proposed development on these cultural remains, according to standard set conventions,  Recommend suitable mitigation measures should there be any sites of significance that might be impacted upon by the proposed development, and  Prepare a heritage sensitivity map.

11. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

Archaeological resources are non-renewable resources and are therefore protected by legislation. Numerous Acts have been incorporated into South Africa’s legislation which provide for the protection of archaeological and heritage resources. Overarching these is the Constitution of South Africa Act No 108 of 1996. Legislation which is taken into consideration includes the following acts:

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

 the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA), Act 25 of 1999,  the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA),  the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) 107 of 1998 section 39 (3) (b) (iii)  the National Environment Management Protected Areas Act No 57 of 2003 (NEMPAA), and the Human Tissues Act (HTA) 65 of 1983 as amended.  the Environment Management Biodiversity Act of 2004, Act No 10 of 2004, and  Thembelihle Local Municipality and Pixley Ka Seme District by-laws

The most relevant of these is the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) no 25 of 1999 which provides for the protection of the following: a) palaeontological and archaeological deposits or sites, b) built structures older than 60 years, c) burial grounds and graves which include:  Graves younger than 60 years;  Graves older than 60;  Graves of victims of conflict or of individuals of royal descent, as well as d) cultural landscapes.

The NHRA (No. 25 of 1999) defines the heritage resources of South Africa which are of cultural significance or other special value for the present community and for future generations that must be considered part of the national estate to include:

 “places, buildings, structures and equipment of cultural significance;  places to which oral traditions are attached or which are associated with living heritage;  historical settlements and townscapes;  landscapes and natural features of cultural significance;  geological sites of scientific or cultural importance;  archaeological and palaeontological sites; o graves and burial grounds, including o ancestral graves; o royal graves and graves of traditional leaders; o graves of victims of conflict; o graves of individuals designated by the Minister by notice in the Gazette; o historical graves and cemeteries; and o other human remains which are not covered in terms of the Human Tissue Act,1983 (Act No. 65 of 1983);  sites of significance relating to the history of slavery in South Africa;  movable objects, including o objects recovered from the soil or waters of South Africa, including archaeological o and palaeontological objects and material, meteorites and rare geological specimens; o objects to which oral traditions are attached or which are associated with living heritage; o ethnographic art and objects”

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

According to the Act, developments which alter the character of a site, and, which exceed certain limitations, require specialist assessment. The NHRA describes activities which trigger heritage impact assessments and these are listed in sections 34, 35 and 38. These provisions are listed below:

Section 34(1) No person may alter or demolish any structure or part of a structure which is more than 60 years old without permission by the relevant provincial heritage resources authority

Section 35(4) No person may, without a permit issued by the responsible heritage resources authority, destroy, damage, excavate, alter, deface or otherwise disturb any archaeological or palaeontological site

Section 36(3) No person may, without a permit issued by SAHRA or the responsible provincial heritage resources authority, destroy, damage, alter exhume, remove from its original position or otherwise disturb any grave or burial ground older than 60 years which is situated outside a formal cemetery administered by a local authority; or bring onto or use at a burial ground or grave any excavation equipment or any equipment which assists in detection or recovery of metals.

Section 38 (1) of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999: Requirements of heritage impact assessment Subject to the provisions of subsections (7), (8) and (9), any person who intends to undertake a development categorised as – (a) the construction of a road, wall, powerline, pipeline, canal or other similar form of linear development or barrier exceeding 300m in length; (b) the construction of a bridge or similar structure exceeding 50m in length; (c) any development or other activity which will change the character of a site (i) exceeding 5 000 sq min extent; or (ii) involving three or more existing erven or subdivisions thereof; or (iii) involving three or more erven or divisions thereof which have been consolidated within the past five years; or (iv) the cost of which exceed a sum set in terms of regulations b SAHRA or a provincial heritage resources agency; (d) the re-zoning of a site exceeding 10 000 sq m in extent; or (e) any other category of development provided for in regulations by SAHRA or a provincial heritage resources agency, must at the very earliest stages of initiating such a development, notify the responsible heritage resources authority and furnish it with details regarding the location, nature and extent of the proposed development.”

The proposed development of photovoltaic solar farms on Portion 2 of the farm Roode Pan Orania aims to alter the character of the Farm, thus requires an Archaeological and Heritage Impact Study.

12. METHODOLOGY

a) Desktop Assessment

The following literature sources were consulted, academic literature, South African Heritage Resources Authority (SAHRA) impact assessment reports on the region, South African Heritage Resources Information System (SAHRIS) map, Genealogical society database, South African

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

archives database, UCT libraries digital collections, as well as previous HIA reports on the Orania area and its surroundings.

b) Field Survey

The field study was undertaken on 13 March 2017 on foot. The survey was undertaken by the consulting archaeologist, Dr D.W. Kgotleng and the palaeontologist, Dr G.M. Tawane, who are both employees of MESO Heritage. The weather was cloudy with intermittent light rain showers, however, visibility was fair. Portion 2 of the Roode Pan Farm site, Orania is a mountainous undulating surface area with bush, scrub and rocky outcrop areas. This made the foot survey very rough and at times unmanageable.

The location of points of interest were recorded on the Global Positioning System (GPS) using a handheld Garmin eTrex® 20x device. Photographs of the site were taken by means of a Canon PowerShot SX510 HS digital camera.

13. HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND REPORT COMPILATION

a) Assessing significance

Significance, or heritage significance, is a human made construct. It is based on the importance which people attach to a physical object, a landscape objector or an abstract concept. The heritage significance of a site or object is determined by its intrinsic worth as it relates to various sectors of the local, national or global population. The national heritage authority, SAHRA determines types of worth which can be assigned to heritage items or locales as recommended by specialists. These are listed in table 1 below.

Table 1. Definitions of Site/object significance

Type of Significance Definition

Aesthetic its importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group Historical Is it important in the community, or pattern of history? Does it have strong or special association with the life or work of a person, group or organisation of importance in history? Does it have significance relating to the history of slavery? Rarity Does it possess uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of natural or cultural

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

heritage?

Representivity Is it important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of natural or cultural places or objects? Does it demonstrate principal characteristics of a range of landscapes or environments, the attributes of which identify it as being characteristic of its class? Is it important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of human activities (including way of life, philosophy, custom, process, land-use, function, design or technique) in the environment of the nation, province, region or locality? Scientific/Technical Does it have potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of natural or cultural heritage? Does it demonstrate a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period? Social Does it have strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons? Tourism Does the site warrant conservation as an educational tourist site and does it have potential for education/economic benefits?

b) Site Grading

Once site significance is established, a weight is assigned to its value. The weight is determined based on the geographical extent (local/provincial/national) and the importance (low/medium/high) of the value which determine possible recommendations, and if there are mitigation measures required or a recommendation for destruction. Destruction of any heritage site may only take place when a permit has been issued by SAHRA or a provincial heritage resources authority. In all the scenarios below approval will be required from SAHRA.

Table 2. Site/Object grading and associated mitigation measures

Site Level Field rating Significance Recommendation Mitigation rating

National Grade 1 High Site should be conserved and Yes nominated as such. Mention should be made of any international ranking Provincial Grade II High Site should be conserved and Yes nominated as such Local Grade IIIA Medium- Site should be conserved and Not advised High nominated as such Local Grade IIIB Medium- Can be mitigated and partly retained Possible High as a heritage register site General Grade IVA Medium-High this site should be mitigated before Yes protection A destruction General Grade IVB Medium Should be recorded before destruction Not advised protection B

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

General Grade IVC Low Has been sufficiently recorded in Not advised protection C Phase 1 and thus requires no further recording before destruction

Table 3 Significance rating and associated action

Significance rating Action

This site of off limits. Under no circumstances can the site be disturbed. This is the High most sensitive and of outmost importance. Alternative areas or routes must be sought for the project. Should the consultant archaeologist deem the site not to warrant leaving entirely alone, the site and all its features should be mapped. Extensive excavations must be done to retrieve as much information as possible before destruction. Such excavations might cover more than half the site and would be mandatory. It might also be advisable that part of the site be conserved for future research These require detailed mapping of all the features and the collection of diagnostic Medium artefactual material. Test trenches and test pits must be excavated to recover core information before destruction. These sites require minimum or no mitigation. Minimum mitigation recommended Low could be a collection of all surface materials and/or detailed site mapping and documentation. On advice from the relevant specialist, the site can be destroyed.

c) Report compilation

The report was compiled subsequent to the desktop analysis and physical survey of the site to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the archaeological and heritage significance of the site.

14. DESKTOP ASESSMENT: BACKGROUND TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HERITAGE HISTORY OF THE AREA

a) Prehistory of the Northern Cape region

South African prehistory is characterized by a temporal layering including a substantial pre- colonial, early contact and early colonial history. The pre-historical record is not marked in a linear and structured manner and follows a complex sequence of deposition. however, the

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

general sequence of events is classified into three progressive phases, the Palaentological phase, the archaeological phase and the colonial/historical period.

b) The palaeontological phase

A full palaeontological impact assessment is attached as Appendix A.

c) The archaeology

The archaeological phase is generally subdivided into four categories, the earlier Stone Age (3 Mya to 300 000ya) (ESA), the Middle Stone Age (c300 000 to 30 000 ya) (MSA), the later Stone Age (c30 000 to 2000 ya) (LSA), the colonial/contact period (c1500 -1994)

i) The Earlier Stone Age(ESA) The South African Earlier Stone Age (ESA) which is generally found between 2My and 200ky is preserved in a variety of contexts, both as ‘sites’ in the traditional sense and as extensive surface and geological assemblages, and even as buried deflated assemblages (Kuman 2001; Dusseldorp et al. 2013). Thus far there only a few sites preserve evidence of, and, are considered old enough to belong to an Oldowan phase of the ESA. These are discovered within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COH WHS). In the nearby Free State region, the MSA is recorded in Florisbad which is known for preserving an archaic Homo sapiens cranium accompanied by a wide range of macro- and micro-fossil fauna remains (Schwartz and Tattersall 2005). Florisbad lies 260km north-east of the site. Kanteen Copje in Barkly West (200km north of Orania) is one of the other ESA sites within the Northern Cape. It preserves stone implements which characterize Earlier Stone Age industries. ii) The Middle Stone Age (MSA) Around 250 000 years ago, Middle Stone Age technology makes an appearance in the South African Stone Age record. The MSA has raised debates on emergence of Homo sapiens and the so-called ‘modern’ human behaviour (McBreaty & Brooks 2000). This stone tool technology is characterised by the appearance of points, blade technology, basal thinning; blade tools, denticulates, unifacial and bifacial points as well as prepared cores (Wadley 1993). It is also characterized by various industries including Howiesons Poort, Pietersburg, Mossel Bay classified into MSA 1-V (Lombard 2012). The Middle Stone Age ceases to exist around 40ky.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

The Later Stone Age of the Northern Cape and Free State is recorded in Smithfield which lies approximately 250km east of Orania. The site is a cave site near Smithfield and is the type site for the Smithfield LSA industrial complex which is characterized by large end scrapers, backed bladelets and long end scrapers dating within the last 1000 years (Sampson 1988). iii) The Later Stone Age (LSA) The Later Stone Age (LSA) dates between ±40 000 BP and ±2000 BP (Deacon 1984). The technology is consistent with implements that suggest that the Later Stone Age people were engaging is more ‘complex’ socio-economic behaviours compared to the MSA populations. The stone implements also show a dramatic shift and become smaller and function specific. These include specialised equipment for fishing and hunting, formal scrapers, and micolithics- micro- stone tools (Deacon 1948; Klein 2000). Canteen Kopje, in Barkly West, is one of the sites close to Orania. It lies 200km north of Orania. It preserves Late Stone Age Technology formal tools such as end and side scrapers and bladelet. iv) The Iron Age The Iron Age of South Africa records a historical period where Bantu speaking groups migrated from the West African region of the continent through and around eastern Africa into southern African region. This period took place between AD200 and AD 1830. These groups of people were metal-using farmers who, by 500PB had occupied the eastern escarpment of southern Africa (Huffman 1982). These groups varied from the Khoi-San hunter gatherer communities in that they cultivated crops such as sorghum, millet and beans, lived in semi-permanent settlements, smelted and foraged iron and produced pottery (Huffman 1982).

The Late Iron Age is recorded in Doornpoort site, Winburg which is approximately 300km north east of Orania. The site is characterized by the presence of clay pots and a settlement pattern which demonstrates organisation associated with the Central Cattle Pattern (Dreyer 1992). v) The Colonial/historical phase The colonial phase is regarded as a period which saw the arrival of European settlers in the country up to the period of the dawn of the democratic South Africa.

Orania is an Afrikaner-only South African town located along the Orange River in the arid Karoo region of Northern Cape Province. The town is split in two halves by the R369 road, and lies halfway between Cape Town and Pretoria. The Orania region has been inhabited since the Stone Ages by the Khoi and San communities of hunter-gatherers. Stone Age engravings found in Northern Cape suggests that the Khoi and San communities were the main cultural group until the 1800. These communities were later displaced by the arrival of Afrikaner, Sotho-Tswana and the Griqua people. The presence of Afrikaners in the area of Orania dates to 1762 and many of the Afrikaner farmers were also nomadic as they seasonally moved across the Orange River in search of better grazing.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

In 1882, Stephanus Ockert Vermeulen purchased the farm Vluytjeskraal the current location of Orania from Cape Colony under a freehold tenure system. Under this system the use of the area by Sotho-Tswanas and the Qriquas was severly restricted. The purchase took place at the time when african and Griqua communities which were formidable in resisting Afrikaner and British colonial expansion were in submission due the erosion of their socio-economic fabric (Cavanagh 2013a). The area was later established as Vluytjeskraal Town in 1963 by the Department of Water Affairs, to house construction workers who were building the irrigation canals connected to the Vanderkloof Dam. This was part of the Orange River Project to bring water to the semi-desert central parts of South Africa. Until 1990, the town belonged to the Department of Water Affairs which was responsible for the Orange River Project.

In 1991 the Orania Management Services (OMS) bought the Town to establish Orania exclusively to become an Afrikaner enclave. The agreement of purchase between the OMS and the Department of Water Affairs was that all the residents of the town should move out (Cavanagh 2013b). These were mainly coloured communities who remained in the town after the completion of the Orange River Project. Orania’s coloured residents were then moved to Luckhoff, Warrenton, and Hopetown to make way for the creation of an exclusive town for Afrikaner under the leadership of Carel Boshoff III.

In 2005 Orania was subject to a land claim instituted by about 20 families who were evicted by the Department of Water Affairs from Orania (Cavanagh 2013b). In 2006 the land claim was settled by the government which agreed to pay the former residents R2.9 million in compensation (News24: 2006).

d) Previous relevant impact assessments

The area has seen a number of developments and as a result, impact assessments have been undertaken.

Relevant HIA reports are listed below

 Dreyer, K. (2008). First Phase Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Investigation of the Vanderkloof Dam – Petrusville Main Water Supply Scheme, Northern Cape. Unpublished SAHRA Report.  Vollenhoven, A.C. (2013). A report on a Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment for the proposed Swartwater Solar PV Power Facility, close to Petrusville, Northern Cape Province. Unpublished SAHRA report.  Tusenius, M.L. (2016). Archaeological Impact Assessment of the Proposed Kloofsig 2 Solar PV Energy Facility on the remainder of the Farm KalkPoort 18, Petrusville Area, Renosterberg Local Municipality, Northern Cape. Unpublished SAHRA report.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

Based on these reports, the following features have been identified in the surrounding towns In the Farm KalkPoort in Petrusville, Middle and Later Stone Age archaeological tools were discovered dispersed on surface gravels (Tusenius 2016). These were discovered without any other archaeological context from the site and were assessed to be of low archaeological/heritage significance

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

Figure 3. The site plan of the proposed PV Solar development (in blue) within Portion 2 of the Farm Roode Pan in Orania (in red)

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

Figures 4a and 4b. A southwest view of the RoodePan Farm site, Orania

Figures 5a and 5b. A southern view of the site (a) and a northwestern view (b) of the site with Orania town on the horizon.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

15. Description of the affected environment

The environment in which the proposed project lies is on the south-west of the orange river. It is a hilly environment bush, shrub and littered with rocky outcrops. The farm (Portion 2 of Roode Pan, Orania) is unoccupied without evidence of current animal or human use. The only signs of human activity on the site are car tracks which are splattered throughout the farm.

16. THE ASESSMENT

a) The finds

The site is barren and devoid of archaeological or heritage objects or sites. According to the field survey indicated that site is devoid of any archaeological or heritage structures artefacts. For control purposes, the field survey was also conducted outside of the proposed development area and no structures or artefacts were observed either.

b) Burial grounds and Graves

No graves have been identified in the project site. However, in the case where graves which are previously unidentified are uncovered during the development process, it is the responsibility of the developer to cease further activity which can impact on these graves and contact SAHRA/Northern Cape Provincial Heritage Authority and the South African Police Service. An investigation should be carried out to determine if the grave is protected in terms of the NHRA. If the grave is protected, the direct descendant(s) or affected community should be consulted and assisted with the exhumation and re-burial of the contents of the grave.

c) Field Rating

N/A

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

d) Statement of Significance

N/A

17. RECOMMENDATIONS

From an archaeological and heritage perspective, the site bears no sites or objects of heritage or archaeological significance other than for personal use by its owners. Therefore, development of the solar facility can continue on either of the two proposed sites.

18. RESTRICTIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS

As with any survey, archaeological materials lie sub-surface and may be therefore unidentifiable to the surveyor until unearthed during the development process. It is important for the developer to note that should any archaeological/ or grave site be discovered during construction, SAHRA/Northern Cape Provincial Heritage Authority should be notified and a heritage specialist must be commissioned to study the contents of such a site.

19. CONCLUSIONS

MESO Heritage Consultants Pty Ltd was commissioned to undertake an archaeological and Heritage Impact assessment of Portion 2 of the Farm RoodePan, Orania. No objects or sites of archaeological or heritage significance were uncovered in the project site, particularly on the areas of the proposed development within the farm. Therefore, from a heritage perspective, the development of the Photovoltaic solar facility is supported.

20. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Mr Percy Ngidi of Ecocompliance Pty Ltd and Solar Capital Pty Ltd for their appointment as the specialist in the project as well as Mr Henry Rich of Portion2 of the Farm RoodePan, who was very helpful with access into the farm.

Heritage Impact Assessment Orania Solar Facility

21. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chazan, M., Avery, M, Goldberg, P., Matmon, A., Porat, N., Ron, H., RutheR., H., Sumner., A, Yates, R, and Horwitz, LK., in press. The Earlier Stone Age Sequence in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa: New Research at Wonderwerk Cave. Deacon, J. (1984). The Later Stone Age of Southernmost Africa. Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 12. Oxford: BAR Dusseldorp, G., Lombard, M. and Wurz, S. (2013). Pleistocene Homo and the updated Stone Age sequence of South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 109: 01-07. Huffman, T. (1982). Archaeology and ethno history of the African Iron Age', Annual Review of Anthropology, 11: 133-50. Klein, R. (2000). Archeology and the evolution of human behavior. Evolutionary Anthropology, 9: 17-36. Lombard, M. (2012). Thinking through the Middle Stone Age of sub-Saharan Africa. Quaternary International, 270: 140–155 McBrearty, S. and Brooks, A. S. (2000). The revolution that wasn't: A new interpretation of the origin of modern humans. Journal of Human Evolution, 39: 453–563. South African History Online [SAHO], (2016). The Second Anglo Boer War 1899- 1902.http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/second-anglo-boer-war-1899-1902 (Accessed 30 March 2017:13h41pm). Turton, A. R. Meissner, R. Mampane, P, and Seremo, O. (2004). A Hydropolitical History of South Africa’s International River Basin. Report for the Water Research Commission. Wadley, L. (1993). The Pleistocene Later Stone Age south of the Limpopo River. Journal of World Prehistory, 7: 243–296.

Wadley, L. (2005). A typological study of the final Middle Stone Age stone tools from Sibudu Cave, KwaZulu-Natal. South African Archaeological Bulletin, 60: 1–13.