Prepared for: ZITHOLELE CONSULTING A PHASE I HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT (HIA) STUDY FOR THE EXTENSION WITH VIEW OF CLOSURE, OF THE BOITSHEPI LANDFILL SITE, BETWEEN BOIPATONG AND TSHEPISO NEAR VANDERBIJLPARK, GAUTENG Prepared by: Dr Julius CC Pistorius Archaeologist and Heritage Consultant Member ASAPA 352 Rosemary Street LYNNWOOD 0081 PO Box 1522 Bela Bela 0480 Tel and fax (014) 736 2115 Cell 082 554 5449 February 2010 i Executive SummaryA Phase I Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) study, as required in terms of Section 38 of the National Heritage Resources Act (Act 25 of 1999) has been undertaken for the extension with the view of closure of the Boitshepi Landfill Site in Vanderbijlpark. The aims of the Phase I HIA were the following: · To establish whether any of the types and ranges of heritage resources as outlined in Section 3 of the National Heritage Resources Act (Act 25 of 1999) do occur in the project area, and, if so, establish the significance of those heritage resources; and · To establish whether such heritage resources will be affected by the extension and closure of the Boitshepi Landfill Site, and, if so, to determine the necessary mitigation measures that must be applied to these heritage resources. The Phase I HIA study for the proposed project revealed none of the types and ranges of heritage resources as outlined in Section 3 of the National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999). From the heritage specialist point of view, there is consequently no reason as to why the extension of the Boitshepi Landfill Site with the view of closure should not take place. It is possible that this Phase I HIA study may have failed to notice possible heritage resources in the project area as heritage remains might occur beneath the existing Boitshepi Landfill Site and could only be exposed if the landfill site is developed in some way that may involve excavations of the underlying soils strata in the future. · If any heritage resources of significance are exposed in the Boitshepi Landfill Site the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) shall be notified immediately; and · An archaeologist accredited by the Association for Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) shall be notified in order to determine appropriate mitigation measures for the discovered finds. This may include obtaining the necessary authorisation (s) (permit (s)) from SAHRA to implement the appropriate mitigation measures. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2. OBJECTIVES OF THIS REPORT ................................................................................................................. 3 3. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................................... 4 4. ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................... 4 4.1 TERMINOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 4 5. THE PROJECT AREA ................................................................................................................................ 6 5.1 LOCATION ............................................................................................................................................ 6 5.2 THE PROPOSED EXTENSION AND CLOSURE OF THE SITE ..................................................................................... 7 6 CONTEXTUALISING THE PROJECT AREA ................................................................................................. 7 6.1 REGIONAL PREHISTORY AND EARLY HISTORY .................................................................................................. 7 6.2 BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VANDERBIJLPARK ..................................................................................... 8 6.3 HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE STUDY AREA .................................................................................................... 9 6. FINDINGS OF THE PHASE I HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT................................................................ 12 7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................... 12 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................... 13 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: LOCATION OF THE BOITSHEPI LANDFILL SITE, EAST OF BOIPATONG AND WEST OF TSHEPISO, INVANDERBIJLPARK IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA ........................................................................................................... 6 iii 1. INTRODUCTION This document reports on the findings of a Phase I Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) study which has been undertaken for the extension with the view of closure of the Boitshepi Landfill Site in Vanderbijlpark , situated east of Boipatong and west of Tshepiso (hence the name Boitshepi Landfill Site) in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Focused archaeological research has been conducted in the Gauteng Province for more than four decades. This research consists of surveys and of excavations of Stone Age and Iron Age sites as well as of the recording of rock art and historical sites in this area. The Gauteng Province has a rich heritage comprised of remains dating from the pre-historical and from the historical (or colonial) periods of South Africa. Pre-historical and historical remains in the Gauteng Province form a record of the heritage of most groups living in South Africa today. Various types and ranges of heritage resources that qualify as part of South Africa’s ‘national estate’ (as outlined in the National Heritage Resources Act [No 25 of 1999]) occur in the Gauteng Province (see Box 1below). The Boitshepi Landfill Site, located in Vanderbijlpark, is owned and managed by the Emfuleni Local Municipality and receives industrial and urban waste from the surrounding areas. The site is operated by EnviroFil and has been operational since the 1970s, prior to the establishment of the Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill (DWA, 1998) and as such is not permitted. Due to the poor environmental siting, lack of initial planning and historically poor operational procedures and controls, the landfill has impacted upon various sectors of the surrounding environment. The Municipality has embarked on a project to develop a new landfill site, but requires an extension to the existing site to keep it operational for at least another three to seven years until the new site can be commissioned. In terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations (Government Notice R.385, R.386 and R.387), promulgated in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998, the proposed extension and closure require an EIA in support of an application for environmental authorisation to the relevant authority, that is, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) A Phase I Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) study has been undertaken in accordance with Section 38 of the National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999) for the extension with the view of closure of the Boitshepi Landfill Site (also referred to as the project area) and forms part of the Environmental Impact Report compiled by Zitholele Consulting. Box 1: Types and ranges of heritage resources (‘National Estate’) as outlined in Section 3 of the National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999). 1 The National Heritage Resources Act (Act No 25 of 1999, Art 3) outlines the following types and ranges of heritage resources that qualify as part of the National Estate, namely: (a) places, buildings structures and equipment of cultural significance; (b) places to which oral traditions are attached or which are associated with living heritage; (c ) historical settlements and townscapes; (d) landscapes and natural features of cultural significance; (e) geological sites of scientific or cultural importance; (f) archaeological and palaeontological sites; (g) graves and burial grounds including- (i) ancestral graves; (ii) royal graves and graves of traditional leaders; (iii) graves of victims of conflict;(iv) graves of individuals designated by the Minister by notice in the Gazette; (v) historical graves and cemeteries; and (vi) other human remains which are not covered by in terms of the Human Tissues Act, 1983 (Act No 65 of 1983); (h) sites of significance relating to the history of slavery in South Africa; (i) movable objects, including - (i) objects recovered from the soil or waters of South Africa, including archaeological and palaeontological objects and material, meteorites and rare geological specimens; (ii) objects to which oral traditions are attached or which are associated with living heritage; (iii) ethnographic art and objects; (iv) military objects; (v) objects of decorative or fine art; (vi) objects of scientific or technological interest; and (vii) books, records, documents, photographs, positives and negatives, graphic, film or video material or sound recordings, excluding those that are public records as defined in section 1 (xiv) of the National Archives of South Africa Act, 1996 (Act No 43 of 1996). The National Heritage Resources Act (Act No 25 of 1999, Art 3) also distinguishes nine criteria