Boomplantweek en die Internasionale Jaar van Woude - Dendro.co.za

DENDRON » No/Nr: 43 » November 2011
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tree stories
boomstories
TREE SURVEY IN SEKHUKHUNELAND
for them by the Transvaal Republic’s Native Location
Commission. Over the next hundred years or so, these
reserves were then variously combined and separated
by a succession of government planners. In 1972 the
Northern Sotho homeland of Lebowa was proclaimed
a ‘self-governing’ territory with a population of almost
2 million.
One of the significant European figures in the history
of the Bapedi is Alexander Merensky, missionary,
scientist and surgeon. He was attached to the Berlin
Missionary Society and conducted missionary
work among the Bapedi in the Tšate valley from
about 1861 when Chief Sekhukhune invited him to
build a mission station at Thaba Mosega. By 1865,
however, relationships between Sekhukhune and
the Christians deteriorated and Merensky and his
converts had to flee the area. They settled near
Middelburg where Botshabelo (city of refuge)
was established. Some other notable missionary
figures who worked in the area include Hermann
Wangemann, and Johannes Winter.
Geology, Minerals, Mining and Merensky.
The area around the Tšate Heritage site (and indeed
the greater part of Sekhukhuneland) is geologically
a part of the Bushveld Complex, termed one of
the geological wonders of the world. The Bushveld
complex extends from about Rustenburg in the
west, eastwards towards Lydenburg, and northwards
towards the Soutpansberg. It was formed about
2000 million years ago through a process whereby
huge masses of molten rock rising from below were
squeezed in between layers of sedimentary rock to
form a huge subterranean chamber of rock. These
magmas solidified into different layers or reefs of
material. Later a different type of magma was intruded
above those formations and crystallised as granite.
The formations that we see at Tšate are the rocks of
the so-called “Rustenburg Layered Suite”, the same
formation as found between Rustenburg and Brits.
The Bushveld complex contains large quantities of
relatively rare and economically valuable minerals,
such as chromitite, magnetite, and the platinumgroup
minerals. One of the layers of the Bushveld
complex is called the Merensky Reef after Hans
Merensky, notable geologist and son of Alexander
Merensky, who discovered the reef that carries his
name in 1924 near Steelpoort.
The mineral wealth of the area may also prove to
be a liability and hasten the debasement of the
ecosystem. There is extensive mining in the area,
with all the concomitant side-effects such as mining
dumps, air and water pollution, dust, and scarring
of the landscape. Plans are afoot to further extend
the scope of mining in order to satisfy the voracious
appetite of industry for minerals and the insatiable
greed of a clan of wealthy individuals. Furthermore
and in order to supply water for mining, industries
and to rural communities, the construction of the
De Hoop dam on the Steelpoort River has been
approved by Cabinet. The length of the dam wall
will be about one kilometre, whilst two new bridges
are to be built to reroute sections of the main road
that will be submerged by the rising waters.
Sekhukhuneland Centre of Plant Endemism
(SCPE) The Tšate Heritage Site where we visited
over the weekend of 4 to 6 February 2011 lies more
or less in the heart of the Sekhukhuneland Centre
of Plant Endemism (SCPE), so called because of the
high concentration of plant species within a relatively
small geographic area, in this case Sekhukhuneland.
It is estimated that within the mere 4000 km² area
of the SCPE there are more than 2000 species of
plants, which include about 58 endemics, another 70
near-endemics, and no less than 46 threatened plant
species. The topography of the SCPE consists of rocky
hills, the rugged Leolo Mountains and deep kloofs.
The surface area is covered by basaltic (ultramafic)
rock with high magnesium and iron content, such as is
the composition of the earth mantle.
Near the Tšate Heritage Site lies the expanse of
the Tšate valley with an unrestricted view towards
the north and the silhouette of the Wolkberg in the
distance. The vegetation around the Tšate area is
typically Mountain Bushveld dominated by Kirkia
wilmsii and Acacia caffra.
Tšate Heritage Site Development Project
The SCPE is subject to various serious threats:
Growing informal settlements and unsustainable landuse
activities (such as uncontrolled wood-harvesting)
have caused land degradation with overgrazing and
soil erosion resulting in under-productive land. In
recent years these impacts have been exacerbated
by increased population growth and growing resource
demands. Mining activities occupy a large area,
mostly in the valleys, whilst several new prospecting
licences have also been granted for the area, including
the Tšate Heritage Site. These impacts are likely to
compound in the future.
Part of the Tšate valley was proclaimed as a
Provincial Heritage Site in 2007, and, but for the
small Potlake Nature Reserve (of about 30 km²),
this is the only other conservation area within the
bounds of the SCPE. In 2008 the Sekhukhune
TREE SURVEY IN SEKHUKHUNELAND
District Municipality launched the Tšate Heritage
Site Development Project which strives to discover
and protect the heritage of the Bapedi and the
exceptional biodiversity of the area, whilst also
developing its potential as a tourist destination. In
pursuance of this, community members are being
trained as tourist guides, and also assist with
archaeological excavations. An information office
has been established at the Heritage Site.
In an effort to benefit from the tourism potential of
the area, primarily by creating jobs for the many
unemployed people, the Sekhukhune District
Municipality has commissioned a project team for the
development of Tšate, whilst Lizanne Nel has been
appointed as a facilitator of this project. Lizanne was
our host for the weekend, ably supported by her
husband Gawie. By profession she is a Conservation
Biologist and Tourism Development Expert, and works
through her company, called 4Life Promotions.
To guide our activities of the weekend, and in order
to channel and control our enthusiasm, we got the
following brief from Lizanne:
“PURPOSE: To get the input of
various experts and specialists on
the biodiversity of the area, as well
as the locality and information on
potential tourism attractions and
potential routes.”
Tree Spotting around Tšate
The scope of the survey is broad and it covers different
fields of study; hence, there were delegates from the
Herpetological Society surveying reptiles, from the
Botanical Society assessing flowering plants, there
were Rolf Becker and his team from the Euphorbia
Society, and then there were the representatives of the
Dendrological Society from the branches Pilanesberg,
Magaliesberg, and Waterberg.
The delegates arrived at Tšate valley on the Friday
afternoon, congregating at the camping site from all
different directions. Naas Grové and I shared a car
and we had decided to drive via Middelburg, thus
we approached from the south, travelling along the
course of the Steelpoort River. It was a pleasant
drive, though marred somewhat by the relentless
traffic of heavy ore carriers on the road. The last
part of the route where you travel along the valley
of the Steelpoort River is really quite scenic, and we
enjoyed the drive. There is already a lot of mining
activity in the valley, and we passed a smelter puffing
tree stories
boomstories
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DENDRON » No/Nr: 43 » November 2011