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Archaeological and Heritage Services Africa (Pty) Ltd (AHSA) Archaeological and Heritage Services Africa (Pty) Ltd Reg. No. 2016/281687/07 PHASE 1 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REQUESTED IN TERMS OF SECTION 38 OF THE NATIONAL HERITAGE RESOURCES ACT NO 25/1999 FOR MINING RIGHTS AT THE 2005 AND 2007 RETRENCHEES – KIMBERLEY MINES TRUST, KIMBERLEY, NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE Prepared by Edward Matenga (MPhil, Archaeology; PhD Archaeology &Heritage, Uppsala/Sweden) Tuesday, 02 May 2017 Principal Researcher: Edward Matenga 8843 Odessa Cres, Cosmo City Ext 7 Northriding 2188, Johannesburg Cell: 073 981 0637 Email: [email protected] 1 DOCUMENT CONTROL APPLICANT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT Kimberley Mines Trust Wadala Mining and Consulting (Pty) Ltd. Name Signature Date FIELD WORK & E. Matenga 30/04/2017 REPORT: DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AHSA (Pty) Ltd is an independent consultancy: I hereby declare that I have no interest, be it business, financial, personal or other vested interest in the undertaking of the proposed activity, other than fair remuneration for work performed, in terms the National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999). DISCLAIMER All possible care was taken to identify and document heritage resources during the survey in accordance with best practices in archaeology and heritage management. However it is always possible that some hidden or subterranean sites are overlooked during a survey. AHSA will not be held liable for such oversights and additional costs thereof. ___________________________ Full Name: Edward J. Matenga Title / Position: Heritage Management Consultant Qualifications: PhD (Archaeology and Heritage, Uppsala University, Sweden), MPhil (Uppsala), Certificate in the Integrated Conservation of Territories and Landscapes of Heritage Value (ICCROM, Rome) 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS DOCUMENT CONTROL ............................................................................................ 2 ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................................... 4 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 9 1.1. Location and Physical Setting ................................................................... 9 2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................... 11 3. METHODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES ................................. 15 3.1. Literature Survey ....................................................................................... 15 3.2. Fieldwork ................................................................................................... 15 3.3. South Africa’s Mining Heritage: A Theoretical Perspective .................. 15 5. FINDINGS OF THE HERITAGE SURVEY ........................................................ 23 5.1. General Observations ............................................................................... 23 5.2. Relics worth Preserving as Heritage of Value ........................................ 24 5.3. Risk Assessment of the Findings ............................................................ 27 6. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................. 29 7. CATALAGUE OF SITES ................................................................................... 29 7.1. Significance Ranking ................................................................................ 29 7.2. Inventory of Sites ...................................................................................... 30 7.3. Catalogue of Sites ..................................................................................... 30 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 39 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. 41 GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................. 42 3 ABBREVIATIONS EIA Environmental Impact Assessment HIA Heritage Impact Assessment LSA Late Stone Age LIA Later Iron Age PHRA Provincial Heritage Resources Authority MSA Middle Stone Age NHRA National Heritage Resources Act SAHRA South African Heritage Resources Agency 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) was carried out in terms of Section 38 of the National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999) to locate sites of heritage significance and assess potential adverse impacts of the proposed mining right for the Kimberley Mines Trust in an area in Kimberley called the 2005 and 2007 Retrenchees. The report is culmination of fieldwork conducted in November 2016. Six sites were recorded. A colour scheme is used to rank the magnitude of perceived impacts and risk of the proposed development. Appropriate interventions and mitigation strategies are also proposed. Ranking Explanation No of Sites 1 High National and Provincial heritage sites (Section 7 of 0 NHRA). All burials including those protected under Section 36 of NHRA. They must be protected. 2 Medium Substantial archaeological deposits, buildings 4 A protected under Section 34 of NHRA. Footprint of early modern mining. These may be protected at the recommendations of a heritage expert. 3 Medium Sites exhibiting archaeological characteristics of the 0 B area, but do not warrant further action after they have been documented. 4 Low Heritage sites deemed of less importance. Decisions 3 on mitigation will be made by a heritage expert including options for destruction with or without salvage. TOTAL 7 5 The following is a list of the sites and the risk ranking: SITE LATITUDE LONGITUDE DESCRIPTION S1 28°42'22.3"S 24°46'12.5"E Mine plant components Foundation remains of building, S2a 28°42'36.80"S 24°46'6.90"E eucalyptus Foundation remains of building, S2b 28°27'36.8"S 24°46'09.6"E eucalyptus S3 28°42'38.36"S 24°45'52.98"E Kimberlite discard S4 28°42'38.00"S 24°45'51.10"E Exposures of industrial/household waste Ramp for offloading material onto S5 28°42'31.21"S 24°45'24.59"E screens S6 28°42'25.54"S 24°45'17.20"E Tailing - 2nd mining phase General Observations The existing landscape at the Retrenchees represents the cumulative impact of three mining phases spanning nearly 150 years. (i) The first phase is identified with the early “Rush” which has been described in Sections 3.4 and 4.5. The foundation remains of buildings which were seen and recorded during the survey are likely to date back to this period from the 1870s. (ii) The second phase is defined by the introduction of new advanced methods of separating the diamond from the Kimberlite rock. With the information to hand it has not been possible to pinpoint the time of the transition in the last century. This necessitated reworking of tailings and further opencast operations in the area, until 2005-2007 when De Beers closed the mine. (iii) De Beers had expressed intention to hand over the land for development for public good.1 However soon after closure unlicensed operations started setting in the third phase (from around 2007) which has continued to the present. Many small holes have been opened with the screening for the mineral done on site. The operators can be seen working as individuals or in groups. Because of the unregulated nature of the operations the area has become a crime hotspot. Dumping of household and industrial waste in the south-eastern part of the property indicates lack of environmental monitoring. Both these activities have 1 Luke Mason, Pers. Comm. November 2016. 6 combined to accelerate degradation and to create a social landscape which stokes crime. Relics worth preserving as heritage of value (i) The foundation remains of buildings which appear to date to the first mining phase (S2a and S2b). The sites are 30m apart, with 7 mature eucalyptus standing in the same area, are worth retaining and incorporating into the landscape of the proposed mine offices. (ii) The broken plant components (S1): A local museum may be approached to assess their value as relics of the mining history of Kimberley. Since it was apparent that they have been deposited there recently, their present provenance is not important and preservation in situ is therefore not necessary. (iii) The mixture of household and industrial waste exposed by the holes of recent unlicensed miners indicate a disturbed provenance as a result of the first two mining events (S4). However this might be of interest to students of industrial and historical archaeology. Relevant departments in local museums and universities may be approached to run test pits if they are interested. (iv) Part of the relict ramp and concrete floor at the bottom (S6) may be preserved in part or as whole as representing the mineral screening process during the second mining phase. Risk Assessment of the Findings EVALUATION CRITERIA RISK ASSESSMENT Description of potential Negative impacts range from partial to total destruction of surface and under-surface movable/immovable relics. impact Nature of Impact Negative impacts can both be direct or indirect. Legal Requirements Sections 34, 35, 36, 38 of National Heritage Resources Act No. 25 (1999) Stage/Phase Prospecting for minerals (test pits, drilling). Mining by opencast or shaft methods Nature of Impact Negative, both direct & indirect impacts. Extent of Impact Test pits, drilling and opencast excavation have potential to damage heritage resources above and below the surface not seen during the survey 7 Duration of Impact Any accidental destruction of surface or subsurface relics
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