6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC BASELINE

6.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Olyven Kolk site is located in the Northern within the Siyanda District Municipality. Until recently the site fell within the District Management Area (DMA) ()1 . The Kalahari including the Augrabies National Park, private farmlands near the town of Kenhardt and the Riemvasmaak Community Conservancy area all fell within the DMA. In May 2011, local municipal elections were held in , and these elections were marked by the disbarment of all DMA’s in the country. This involved the incorporation of all DMA’s into existing local Municipalities and under the 2011 municipal demarcations, the former Riemvasmaak DMA was broken into two and incorporated to the Mier and Kai !Garib Local Municipalities (See Figure 6.1). This process formed part of the government’s plan to improve service delivery across the country. As of 18 May 2011, the Olyven Kolk site is located within the Kai !Garib Local Municipality.

Figure 6.2 shows the location of the Olyven Kolk site.

The Olyven Kolk site is located in an isolated rural area comprising predominantly of grazing farmlands. The closest town/settlement of Kenhardt is located 44 km from the site. For the purpose of this socio- economic study, the study area considered includes the town of Kenhardt, as the town plays a role in the provision of social services to the community living in and around the project site and the DMA (data only available for the DMA).

Statistical data is not available at a DMA level and therefore the available data referring to the DMA is incorporated at a District level.

(1) An area is gazetted as a DMA if it cannot/ will not be able to fulfil the objectives of Section 24 of the Demarcation Act.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-1 Figure 6.1 New Municipal Demarcation for the Siyanda District Municipality

20°0'0"E 20°30'0"E 21°0'0"E Legend

R / 3 MainTowns 6 0 B //KHARA HAIS r a

k Perennial Rivers NAMIBIA Non Perennial Rivers p ro ou Dry Rivers K N10

AUGRABIES FALLS National Roads NATIONAL PARK e ng Main Roads Riemvasmaak / ra Molopo O Secondary Roads O ran ge Railway Line 28°30'0"S 28°30'0"S Do Kalksloot nke rho eks Cultural Features / pru N it a r LOUISVALE r Raaswater Conservation areas i e s s e s e e Perennial Dam b L a o r o B p g n la ut ul R S ho Local Municipalities B 35 lien 9 / V O aa lp Ka District Municipalities Lutzburg S ut reeb out s oom Alheit R359 / Olyven Kolk Site N eu ss !KHEIS ZIMBABWE pr meel H ui Ka a t r BOTSWANA MOZAMBIQUE tb LIMPOPO e N14 e S s NAMIBIA

a MPUMALANGA m Ma rais GAUTENG o NORTH WEST SWAZILAND e

p

NORTHERN CAPE FREE STATE KWAZULU-NATAL B r LESOTHO ut a So k

EASTERN CAPE 29°0'0"S 29°0'0"S te ol H e s op ei o WESTERN CAPE vl L Study Area ks se n S s a a ga B n u d ro n N SCALE: o u t e 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Kilometres ±

Ko SIYANDA TITLE: ei am Br laa ulko gt lk s e e H olte Figure 6.2 te ag Socio-Economic Map La se e ts ooiput se Leegt ep tpu R bo ou Ka S CLIENT: rs ee t gs -EconomicMap_Rev2.mxd u / u o G KENHARDT R AES Solar Energy S

r

a

a

f

w

a

t

e M ottels DATE: Oct 2011 CHECKED: IE PROJECT: 0126393

r KAI !GARIB s DRAWN: LDT APPROVED: SHC SCALE: 1 : 600 000

DRAWING: REV: Fig6.2_Socio-Economic Map_Rev2.mxd 2 29°30'0"S 29°30'0"S 7 2 1 ERM

R 6 3 175 Lunnon Road, R Hillcrest. 0083 Pretoria, South Africa Tel: +27 12 362 0008 Fax: +27 12 362-8368 Lat NAMAKWA ak SIZE: S opProjection: Geographic, Datum: WGS84 ltelo Source: EnPat (2001) Demarcation Board (2011) dho A3 20°0'0"E 20°30'0"E 21°0'0"E Bran Inset Map, Esri Data & Maps C:\0126393_AES\Mapping\MXD\October2011\Fig6.2_Socio It is unlawful for any firm or individual to reproduce copyrighted maps, graphics or drawings, in whole or in part, without permission of the copyright owner, ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd · 6.2 ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE AND AREA

The Provincial Government is responsible for ensuring cooperation and collaboration between municipalities within the Province and for ensuring that each municipality performs their designated functions. In turn, each of the District Municipalities is responsible for the development and implementation of their Integrated Development Plans and for the overall provision of services and infrastructure within the District.

Figure 6.3 Administrative Structure (for Project Area)

Northern Cape Province

Siyanda District Municipality

Kai !Garib Local Municipality (previously Riemvasmaak District Management Area (DMA))

6.3 OLYVEN KOLK SITE AND SURROUNDS

The project site falls within Olyven Kolk Farm (portion RE 14/187). This land parcel is currently managed by the landowner and at present there are no residents inhabiting the site. The site is bounded by four neighbouring farms, owned by separate individuals and companies. Only one of the three neighbouring farmers (and his wife) resides permanently on his farm.

The neighbouring farms vary in size and a brief description of each and the land use of these farms is set out below:

 Olyven Kolk (a portion of portion 4/187) Farm is 1,052 ha in size and borders the project site to the east. The farm owner inherited the farm in 2007, but the farm has been in his family since 1996. The farm is used for livestock farming and there are currently 250 sheep on the farm. He does not have anyone in his employ and he uses a neighbouring landowner’s worker to look after the sheep during the week. The landowner visits the farm on weekends. There is minimal infrastructure on the farm and this includes a caravan, one building, a borehole, and two sheep holding camps.

 Olyven Kolk (multiple portions/187) Farm is 7,000 ha in size and borders the project site to the north. The farm was recently purchased by a developer and no one is currently residing on the farm. The buyer plans

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-4 to use the farm for PV power generation and use the remaining portion of the farm to continue with livestock grazing.

 Klein Zwart Bast (multiple portions of 188) Farm is 5,500 ha in size and borders the project site to the west. The farm is currently used for livestock farming and also houses the Eskom’s Aries substation. At present the farm is also being leased to a solar PV developer, who intends to develop a solar plant on the site. There is a homestead on the farm.

 Karee Boom Kolk (portion 1/248) Farm is 2,500 ha in size and borders the project site to the south. The landowner is a third generation farmer, and he resides on the farm with his wife. The farm is used for sheep and cattle farming. The landowner makes use of temporary labour from Kenhardt to help him with the daily running of the farm. There is minimal infrastructure on the farm including a large house, several outside buildings and the landowner uses solar panels to generate electricity for domestic electricity use.

6.4 POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS

6.4.1 Population Description

In the most recent census statistics available, Siyanda District’s ()1 population was estimated to be 238,063 for the year 2007, indicating a population growth of 17 percent since the 2001 population census ()2 . The population density in the District that year was 1.7 people/km2 and the ratio of females to male was 52:48. The DMA at the time had a population of 8,600. Despite the vast area which the DMA covered, the area was sparsely populated.

In 2011, the population of Kenhardt was estimated to be 3,800 ()3 . In contrast to the District gender ratio, Kenhardt has a higher ratio of males to females ()4 .

6.4.2 Age Distribution and Ethnicity

The age profile for the District illustrates a developing population with 43 percent of the population below 35 years. A further 27 percent are between the age of 35 and 59 and 25 percent of the population are below the age of 20 years. The remaining five percent of the District population are above 65 years of age.

The population of the area is primarily coloured and the most common language spoken is .

(1) Hereafter referred to as 'District' (2) Community Survey, 2007 (3) Personal Comms: Community Development Worker (CDW) (4) Personal Comms: CDW

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-5 6.4.3 Migration Patterns

There is a relatively high level of migration out of the area, which can be attributed to the lack of employment opportunities in the region. Most people move to Upington, Johannesburg or . Many of those who can afford to leave the area do not return. This is likely to be attributed to the lack of public infrastructure and transport in the local area as well as the sparsity of employment opportunities.

6.5 EDUCATION AND LITERACY

The majority of the District’s population over 20 years of age have completed secondary schooling (30 percent), followed by 24 percent having completed some primary schooling and 17 percent having no formal education. The level of education of the remaining 29 percent of the population is unclear ()1 .

Kenhardt has nursery, primary and high schools but no tertiary institutions. Typically, students who want to further their studies go to Upington (where there is a Further Education and Training (FET) College), Kimberly or Stellenbosch. A significant portion of the youth in Kenhardt have completed Grade 10 or Matric, the bulk of whom cannot afford to continue their studies beyond school.

In Kenhardt, each year the schools hold a “back to school campaign” ()2 ,to encourage students to continue their studies. Before 1994, there was no high school in the area and therefore most learners completed only primary schooling (Grade 7), fortunately that changed with the establishment of the high school. There are a limited number of bursary opportunities for students who want to further their education, as such only a few people leave to pursue further education. Figure 6.4 and Figure 6.5 show the two schools found in the area.

(1) Siyanda District Municipality: IDP 2007 - 2011 (2) Personal Comms: CDW

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-6 Figure 6.4 Kenhardt Primary School

Figure 6.5 Kenhardt High School

6.6 HEALTH CARE SERVICES

The closest health centre to the site is the Kenhardt Community Health Centre (CHC) located in Kenhardt (see Figure 6.6). CHCs are medical facilities funded and administered by local municipalities. The CHC is open 24 hours a day and there is always a medical professional available. The closest government doctor is located in Keimoes (78km away), but there is a private doctor available in Kenhardt who charges R280 per consultation. There are ten staff members at the CHC - six general nurses and four auxiliary nurses.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-7 The facility services an estimated 7,000 people from Kenhardt and the surrounding areas. The CHC is understaffed with a nurse-patient ratio of 1:1,166.

The health conditions experienced in the community are generally asthma, hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. TB is prevalent in the area due to poor living conditions and lack of access to medicine. Alcohol and drug abuse (a common drug used is tik) is increasing and local residents attribute this to a lack of recreational facilities in the area.

The CHC is actively educating the community of Kenhardt on health issues, some of the tools they use include:

 Information brochures at the clinics;  community development workers who provide information to the community;  radio and TV;  information drives; and  door to door consultation especially in relation to TB and HIV.

Figure 6.6 Kenhardt Community Health Centre (CHC)

6.7 ECONOMY AND LIVELIHOODS

The dominant economic sectors in terms of revenue generated in the District are agriculture, hunting, forestry fishing (45 percent), construction (14 percent), wholesale & retail (11 percent), community, social & personal services (15 percent), construction & manufacturing (nine percent), private households ()1 (nine percent), transportation (three percent), finance

(1) Domestic workers

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-8 (five percent) and mining (three percent) ()1 . Most agricultural activities are concentrated along the Orange River and include crop and some livestock farming.

6.7.1 Agriculture

Kenhardt and the surrounding areas are sustained by the agricultural sector (which is dominated by sheep farming). The sheep bred in the area are Dorper sheep valuable for their meat. There are no crops in the area because of the arid conditions and lack of available water resources. Most of the commercial farms are located on the outskirts of town including those owned by emerging farmers from the town.

The farms in the vicinity of the Olyven Kolk site are used mainly for livestock farming (including sheep, goats and cattle). The climate of the area does not allow for crop farming. During the dry months the farmers provide the livestock with lucerne for extra feed.

There are three major issues facing the productivity of farming in the area including, a shortage of water resources, stock theft (especially for farms along the R27) and jackals who kill the livestock.

As part of the land restitution process, the government bought some farms in Keimoes, Kenhardt and Kakamas and these farms were given to developing farmers ()2 for communal usage. At present there are 150 emerging farmers, 40 of whom are from Kenhardt. The farmers keep sheep for subsistence purposes only. The government has not given the farmers any additional financial support for the sheep farming, making it difficult for these farmers to establish a viable commercial farm. The government only provides assistance to farmers when there is a national agricultural crisis such as foot and mouth disease.

Figure 6.7 shows the agricultural potential of the land associated with the proposed Olyven Kolk Farm. The site consists mainly of “soils not suitable for arable agriculture; suitable for forestry or grazing where climate permits.”

(1) Siyanda District Municipality: IEDP, 2006 (2) Developing or emerging farmers is a term used to define previously disadvantaged farmers who enter into commercial farming. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-9 20°30'0"E 20°40'0"E 20°50'0"E 21°0'0"E 21°10'0"E Legend Nrougas se Loop / MainTowns Perennial Dam Non Perennial Dam Perennial Rivers Dry pan

H Non Perennial Rivers a rt be es Dry Rivers District Municipalities

G ra Main Roads Olyven Kolk Site a fw a 7 t TUINSRIVIER e 2 Secondary Roads rs R Railway Line 83 R3 Soil Potential IER RIV SIYANDA RS 29°20'0"S E 29°20'0"S No dominant class SE KENHARDT / UG s R r e Not suitable for agrculture; suitable for conservation e s g u

R Soils highly suited to arable agriculture

R Soils not suitable for arable agriculture 36 1 Soils of intermediate suitability for arable agriculture ROOI Soils of poor suitability for arable agriculture

ls te ot M

OLYVEN KOLK SITE ZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA MOZAMBIQUE LIMPOPO 29°30'0"S 29°30'0"S NAMIBIA

MPUMALANGA NORTH WEST VERSKEPVLOER GAUTENG SWAZILAND

NORTHERN CAPE FREE STATE KWAZULU-NATAL LESOTHO

EASTERN CAPE

WESTERN CAPE Study Area L at

Sa SCALE:

k 0 5 10 15 Kilometres ±

TITLE: 29°40'0"S 29°40'0"S

Figure 6.7 Agricultural Potential

CLIENT: GRIET SE VLOER NAMAKWA ulturalPotential.mxd AES Solar Energy

ROOIDAM SE VLOER DATE: Oct 2011 CHECKED: IE PROJECT: 0126393

DRAWN: LDT APPROVED: SHC SCALE: 1 : 300 000 NAMAKWA DRAWING: REV: GEMSBOKRIVIER Fig6.7_Agricultural Potential.mxd 2 29°50'0"S 29°50'0"S ERM 175 Lunnon Road, Hillcrest. 0083 Pretoria, South Africa Tel: +27 12 362 0008 Fax: +27 12 362-8368

Projection: Geographic, Datum: WGS84 SIZE: Source: EnPat (2001) Chief Directorate National Geo-Spatial Information (NGI) 20°30'0"E 20°40'0"E 20°50'0"E 21°0'0"E 21°10'0"E A3

Inset Map, Esri Data & Maps C:\0126393_AES\Mapping\MXD\October2011\Fig6.7_Agric It is unlawful for any firm or individual to reproduce copyrighted maps, graphics or drawings, in whole or in part, without permission of the copyright owner, ERM Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd · 6.7.2 Local Businesses

A small number of small-scale businesses are found in Kenhardt including butcheries, tuck shops, a liquor store, mini-market (see Figure 6.8), clothing and general store, brick-makers (transported and sold in Kakamas and Upington), tourism related businesses such as Kenhardt Hotel and most recently a waste recycling facility has been established which employs five people ()1 .

Figure 6.8 Local Store

6.7.3 Household Income

Household incomes in the District are relatively low with the majority of the population earning less than R1,800 a month ()2 . At a district level, a high number (22 percent) of households are dependent on state grants ()3 , with 52 percent dependent on the child grant of R280 per month ()4 . Government grants range between R280 and R1,146 per month. Poverty is high in the town ()5 . It is estimated that the highest earner in the area earns approximately R15,000 a month.

6.7.4 Employment, Unemployment and Skills

Throughout the District, the level of unemployment is higher (at 29 percent) than the percentage of the population employed (23 percent). This can be attributed to the general lack of employment opportunities available in the

(1) Personal Comms., Local Residents, CDW and Cllr (2) Siyanda District Municipality IDP, 2007 -2011 (3) Old age pension, child grants, disability grants and foster care grants (4) Siyanda District Municipality: IEDP, 2006 (5) Personal comms with Cllr and CDW

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-11 District. The portion of the population which is regarded as economically inactive (1) is 48 percent ()2 .

The main employers in the District are the agricultural sector (34 percent), communication sector (19 percent), mining sector (14 percent), and trade sector (nine percent) ()3 .

According to local residents, there are few employment opportunities in and around the Kenhardt area, resulting in the high levels of unemployment. At present there are six sources of income generation ()4 , namely:

 short-term contract work;  farming;  social grants;  retail shops (e.g. Pep Store);  Municipality; and  State departments.

Some of the local people also undertake seasonal work in Kakamas harvesting wine grapes.

The Department of Water Affairs initiated capital project to construct a water pipeline from the Orange River to Kenhardt provided a significant amount of short-term contract work for the local community during the construction phase from 2009 to 2010.

The majority of the community do not have any formal skills because of the lack of capacity building programmes, lack of tertiary institutions and general lack of job opportunities.

6.8 VULNERABLE AND MARGINALISED GROUPS

Vulnerability is a measure of the resilience of individuals, households and communities to withstand shock (SIDP, 2004). Generally, vulnerable groups in the area are those who have no productive assets (farms), lack vocational skills, are isolated or excluded, and lack guidance and social support structures.

According to the local residents there are two groups of people who are regarded as vulnerable namely the elderly and the youth.

The elderly (age 65 and above) represent about five percent of the District population. The majority of the elderly survive on a government pension of R1,140 per month. For most of the elderly their pension is the sole income for their households and everyone in the family relies on it. Furthermore, some of

(1) Economically inactive population refers to students, elderly, sick, differently-abled persons and people who choose not to work. (2) Siyanda District IEDP, 2006 (3) Siyanda District Municipality: IEDP, 2006 (4) Personal comms: IDP/LED Officer

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-12 the elderly who live alone are victimised by local thieves who rob them of their pension every month end.

The general lack of employment opportunities in the area has caused high levels of unemployment amongst the youth, making it difficult for people to uplift themselves. It is considered that the lack of employment opportunities and the need to earn an income has led to an increase in criminal activities.

6.9 TOURISM AND HERITAGE

The tourism sector in the District is not well developed and the local authorities have plans to encourage the growth of this sector ()1 . The main tourist attraction in the District is the world famous Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The park attracts thousands of tourists to the region on an annual basis thus having a positive influence on the smaller local tourist enterprises in the area. The park is located 450 km north of the site. Approximately 13 km outside Upington, there is the Spitskop Nature Reserve and the Augrabies National Park.

A tourist information office was found in Kenhardt but it was closed after several months. Accommodation facilities in Kenhardt, include Ouma Miemie’s Guest House, De Oude Herberg, Sonop Guest House, Ou Werf, Bushmanland Guest House and the Kenhardt Hotel. Most contractors who come to do some work in the area stay at these facilities. The main tourist attraction in the local area is the kokerboom ()2 (quiver tree) forest (Aloe dichotoma) located approximately 7 km from town where several hundred kokerbome grow. At present, plans are underway to establish a kokerboom tourist route in Keimoes. There are also bushman paintings in the area, graveyards of two soldiers and several memorial sites such as the library and the English Church in the town. Below are pictures of the Kokerboom (Figure 6.9), Ouma Miemie’s Guest House (Figure 6.10) and Kenhardt Hotel (Figure 6.11) all of which can be seen when travelling along the main road through Kenhardt.

(1) Siyanda District Municipality: IDP 2007 - 2011 (2) Kokerboom is a founding tree of the area, where the town was founded.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-13 Figure 6.9 Kokerbome Tree

Figure 6.10 Ouma Miemie’s Farmstall and Guest House

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-14 Figure 6.11 Kenhardt Hotel

6.10 EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE

The following infrastructure is located on or in the vicinity of the proposed development site:

 Eskom’s 400 kV Aries Substation located approximately 400 m northwest of the site (see Figure 6.12);  the Sishen-Saldanha Railway Line and associated un-tarred service road transects the site (see Figure 6.13); and  a 400 kV line from Aries substation which runs south through the site.

Other infrastructure found in the area include: other transmission lines to the Aries substation, fences, boreholes, farm houses and sheds/ out buildings.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-15 Figure 6.12 Eskom’s Aries Substation in the Distance

Figure 6.13 Sishen-Saldanha Railway Line

6.10.1 Other Planned Developments in the Vicinity of the Project Site

At present, there are three other projects proposed in the area close to the Olyven Kolk site. These include two proposed solar power plants and the proposed expansion / upgrading of the Sishen–Saldanha railway line. None of these plans have been finalised, at present the respective developers are

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-16 conducting studies to determine the viability of the projects. The planned solar plants are considered further in Chapter 13, Cumulative Impacts.

6.11 GENERAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

6.11.1 Water

Approximately 93 percent of households in the District have access to tap water, via a tap in their homes or a communal tap (1) with the remaining population relying on underground water resources such accessed via boreholes. There is, however, a lack of good quality groundwater in the District resulting in many farms being uninhabitable. The groundwater levels reportedly subside because of over-pumping and the rainfall is too low to replenish groundwater sources ()2 .

In Kenhardt, boreholes used to be the main source of water until the Department of Water Affairs installed a 75km water pipeline from the Orange River. The water is treated in Keimoes in order to provide clean drinking water to the community. The project cost the approximately R70 million to implement. The local community receives 10kl free water per month.

6.11.2 Sanitation

The delivery of flush toilets in the District has been relatively slow with only 71 percent of households having access to flush toilets ()3 . This has been attributed to the lack of water resources. The lack of water has also resulted in the lack of a proper sewage system, thus many households make use of septic tanks. The municipality provides the community with sewage tanks, which are drained on daily basis by sewage trucks. Approximately 10 percent of the population do not have any toilet facilities and the remainder of households use alternate sanitation facilities.

6.11.3 Housing

Approximately 77 percent of the District population reside in formal housing, with 10 percent living in informal housing, nine percent live in workers cottages and four percent reside in other forms of housing ()4 . According to local residents, there are very few informal houses in the area. The government is currently building more RDP houses which will each comprise two bedrooms and an open plan living area.

(1) Community Survey, 2007 (2) Siyanda District Municipality IDP, 2007 - 2011 (3) Community Survey, 2007 (4) Community Survey,2007

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-17 Figure 6.14 House in Kenhardt

6.11.4 Energy

Approximately 85 percent of the Districts population has access to electricity. The remaining 15 percent of the population rely on paraffin, candles and firewood for cooking, lighting ad heating ()1 .

Similar to the district level, the majority of people in Kenhardt have access to electricity and use it as their main source of energy, although many people use gas and wood for cooking. The electricity is supplied by Eskom and the local community receive 50 free units per month. The farming community typically use solar energy given that the farms are often located far from the electricity supply network.

6.11.5 Crime

There are low levels of crime in Kenhardt and most people feel relatively safe ()2 . Stock theft is a problem in the rural areas, especially for farms located close to main roads. Other crimes recorded for the area include burglary, rape and murder. A resident stated that crime (particularly theft) increases around the time that government grants are paid.

6.11.6 Public Transportation

There are no public transport services servicing Kenhardt. Individuals travelling to Keimoes or Upington must hire a private vehicle at a cost of R1,200. As a result, people cannot regularly afford to leave Kenhardt. Road infrastructure is poor and most roads in the area are gravel with the exception

(1) Community Survey, 2007 (2) Personal comms, Kenhardt Residents

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-18 of the main road, the R27, which passes through the town, see Figure 6.15 and Figure 6.16.

Figure 6.15 Local Secondary Road, Kenhardt

Figure 6.16 Tarred Main Road (R27), Kenhardt

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-19

6.12 ARCHAEOLOGY, PALAEONTOLOGY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

6.12.1 Palaeontology

The Olyven Kolk site is underlain by glacial-related sediments of the Permo- Carboniferous Dwyka Group (Mbizane Formation) that are generally of low palaeontological sensitivity (see Figure 6.17). From desk based research, the main categories of fossils recorded from the Mbizane beds include a small range of interglacial trace fossils, petrified woods and other plant materials, palynomorphs and supposed stromatolites (the last possibly spurious). Quaternary aeolian sediments of the Gordonia Formation (Kalahari Group) as well as alluvial gravels, sands and calcretes of comparable age, all of low palaeontological sensitivity are also found within the study area. Fossils preserved within alluvial sediments will be largely safeguarded by the proposed final layout that avoids drainage areas.

Figure 6.17 Geological Map showing Olyven Kolk Site

Extract from 1: 250 000 geological map 2920 Kenhardt (Council for Geoscience, Pretoria) showing the approximate location of the Olyven Kolk site (dark blue rectangle). The area is underlain by Dwyka Group glacial deposits (grey) as well as Quaternary to Recent alluvium and wind-blown sand (pale yellow) that are mainly associated with shallow drainage courses.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-20 6.12.2 Archaeology

Pre-colonial

Extensive scatters of stone artefacts dating from the Early Stone Age (ESA) ()1 , Middle Stone Age (MSA) ()2 and Late Stone Age (LSA) ()3 were recorded on gravel pavements across the study area (Figure 6.18). Few areas of the site lacked traces of these artefacts and it is likely that this is largely due to the surface being obscured by windblown sand rather than artefacts not being present in these areas. In some areas density of artefacts appears to be higher than other areas but it would be difficult to define individual sites and scatters. All observations made during the site investigations are of the surface as there were no indications that there would be deeply stratified material anywhere on the site (for example caves). It should be noted that associated organic remains were noted with any of the stone scatters.

Figure 6.18 Typical Gravel Pavement context where most Stone Artefacts are found

A few isolated large implements were recovered which resembled sub-classic bifaces which originate from the ESA but the items were very weathered and observations remain equivocal (Figure 6.19). One clear biface of a size suggestive of Fauresmith type was recognised (Figure 6.19).

Most of the material observed can probably be ascribed to the MSA (Figure 6.20), and distinctive flakes were noted some of which were retouched. Two scatters of stone tools with a fresh appearance interpreted as Late Stone Age (LSA) were also observed on site although no distinctive formal LSA implements were recovered or noted (Figure 6.21). Three typical lower grindstones were found in close association with these artefacts seeming to confirm our interpretation. No LSA ceramics were observed nor were any organic materials found in association.

The patination and sandblasting on many of the artefacts is consistent with significant vintage. Flakes, blades, chunks and cores make up the majority of the scatters, and retouch was present on some items. The most predominant raw material observed on site was grey quartzite with some fine grained chert.

(1) Early Stone Age: The archaeology of the Stone Age between 700 000 and 2500 000 years ago. (2) Middle Stone Age: The archaeology of the Stone Age between 20-300 000 years ago associated with early modern humans. (3) Late Stone Age: The archaeology of the last 20 000 years associated with fully modern people.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-21 Figure 6.19 Bifaces- Sub-classic Handaxes (ESA)

These are uncommon on the site. The biface example at right is fresher in appearance and displays greater workmanship, possibly a Fauresmith type variant. The leftmost two examples are adjudged to be sub-classic handaxes from the ESA period.

Figure 6.20 Middle Stone Age artefacts made primarily on local quartzite

Figure 6.21 Fresh flakes and cores in association with a lower grindstone judged to be LSA artefacts

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-22

Graves

No burial graves were observed.

6.12.3 Cultural Heritage & Built Environment

The Olyven Kolk site represents very typical landscape characteristics for the wider area. Flat, featureless with scrubby low vegetation and bare patches of gravel pavement, the farm continues to be used for small stock farming. There are two buildings on the site associated with the farm. These are situated north of the railway in close proximity to each other. One is a shed built with corrugated iron, while the other is a small brick dwelling or a labourers cottage (Figure 6.22) with a metal sheet roof. Neither of these constitutes features of heritage interest.

Figure 6.22 Shed built with Corrugated Iron (Left) and Labourers Cottage (Right)

The labourer’s cottage is not currently inhabited.

Man made features within or in close proximity to the site include, Eskom’s Aries sub-station located approximately 400 m from the site, a number of 400kV power lines of which one passes through the site and another borders the site, and the Sishen- Saldanha railway and associated service road. These features are all prominent features in the landscape.

The cultural landscape in the study area may be described as a partially organically-evolved landscape through farming. There are elements of natural vegetation interspersed with grazing land.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AES SOLAR ENERGY LTD 6-23