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
to resist. After the morning’s hike we felt sweaty and
exhausted, and there is a water shortage at the camp,
which rouses guilt when you climb under the shower.
But the water of the Motse River was actually better: It
looked clean, cool, and inviting. So we stripped and
had a thorough shower provided with the compliments
of the Motse River. Whilst chatting and relaxing in the
near-dusk, Johan Cronje suddenly remembered it was
actually sundowner time and produced a bottle of
fine white wine from the fridge in his car. So we did
some bonding: feet in water, glass in hand. Later, he
remembered that there was actually a bottle of red as
well. Needless to say we returned to camp rather late.
The braai in the evening was once again a huge
success: A lively fire, a pot of pap en sous, and the
aroma of meat roasting on the fire, whilst we discussed
the successes and disappointments of the day.
Between the different groups we had a list of no less
than 138 different species of trees identified on that
day, and this is only within one of the five vegetation
types found in the SCPE. This is a highly remarkable
achievement, since a typical weekend outing of our
Society will seldom yield a list of more than 60 or so
species. You may imagine the tree count should we
be able to spend a few days in the area.
Just to remind us that life is not perfect the local
Shebeen started up in the early evening, and we were
once again entertained to the intolerable .thump…
thump….thump…until well past midnight.
Other attractions in the area.
The appeal of the Tšate area is certainly not limited
to its rich and varied flora: There are several other
attractions of historic, cultural, and geological interest
in the close proximity, and these are easily accessibly.
Exploring these sights may occupy the better part of
a day and will enhance the appreciation of the region.
Among these, the following may be listed:
• Visible surface sections of the Merensky reef and
the chrome layers of the bushveld complex;
• The scars of Hans Merenksy’s first mining
operation;
• Hans Merensky’s office, which today serves as a
house of prayer;
• Various archaeological sites where artefacts of
the iron age hunter-gatherers have been exposed;
• Rock paintings by the aboriginal people;
• The norite music stones which, when thumped,
will produce several different harmonious notes
from a single stone.
MUSIC STONE » Foto: Naas Grové
Comments and Conclusion
What is our evaluation? What about he biodiversity of
the area? What about the tourism potential?
Let me emphasize that, with the very limited exposure
we’ve had to the area of Tšate, we can merely voice
some common impressions, which may actually be off
the mark when examined in greater depth.
It is certainly a wise and enlightened decision of
the Sekhukhune District Municipality to seek other
sustainable sources of economic activity for the area.
Currently it appears as though much of the employment
is dependent on Mining, but Mining, by its very nature,
is an unsustainable source and all that will remain after
30 or 40 years are a degraded ecosystem and scars in
the landscape. In the mean time, and spurred by the
transient income from mining, the local population will
have increased substantially, and the pressures on the
environment will have multiplied.
We have found that the area is a tree-lover’s paradise,
but at the same time subject to various serious threats
some of which have been alluded to above.
I believe that, regretfully, the current tourism potential
of the immediate Tšate area to be rather limited due
to considerations such as: Distance from the market
(some 350km from main centres), proximity of
villages and human habitation, the effects of mining,
degradation of the environment, rareness of avifauna
and mammalians, and (currently) inadequate camping
facilities. A real tree-lover will, no doubt, endure and
defy these inconveniences but, again regretfully, there
are so few of us!
On the other hand: The SCPE is, by all reports, a
rich and diverse area that is demanding very special
and considerate preservation against the threats
and pressures facing it. It deserves placing a large
and contiguous tract of this land under legislated
conservation, preferably incorporating the six
vegetation types identified by Dr Siebert. Preservation,
rehabilitation and restocking of such land will in time,
Sources:
Publications and Reports:
1. Various Information Brochures kindly supplied by Lizanne
Nel
2. HOARE, D. 2007. Scoping Report: Ecological Study of the
proposed Steelpoort Integration Project.
3. McCARTHY, T. & RUBIDGE, B. 2005. The Story of Earth &
Life, Struik.
4. NORRIS-NEWMAN, C.L. 1976. With the Boers in the
Transvaal. Africana Reprint Library.
5. SIEBERT, S.J. 2001. Vegetation on the ultramafic soils of
TREE SURVEY IN SEKHUKHUNELAND
Some comments on Tšate
from a member of the Botanical Society
Sylvie Köhne
no doubt, encourage tourism and support sustainable
job creation.
But such ventures are expensive and need to be
financed. The answer, in my mind, is that the Mining
Companies may be approached for funding. After
all, the Mining Companies are reaping where they
did not sow; they are exhausting the valuable assets
of the area and benefiting mostly their investors, the
politicians, and administrators.
It is our sincere hope that the dendrological, floral
and other treasures of the SCPE and the Tšate valley
will be preserved and enhanced, and that we shall
be able to bring many a more interesting visit to this
fascinating area.
The Limpopo Branch of the Botanical Society joined the Dendrological Society at Tsate, and enjoyed
meeting lots of different people. The plant life impressed the entire party and there was something for
everyone: special trees for the dendrologically inclined, beautiful forbs with huge ornamental potential
for the tissue culture expert, some spiny Euphorbias for the succulent enthusiasts, and grasslands
exploding with flowers of every kind after the good rains. As summit grasslands support high plant
diversity and numbers of endemic plants, the BotSoc group focussed on the grasslands around the Tama
Kgoshi peak of the Leolo Mountains on Saturday. Twenty-one herbaceous flowering plant species were
recorded, including the densely flowered orange Gladiolus crassifolius, the perfectly camouflaged green
Habenaria orchid species as well as the beautiful red Streptocarpus dunnii. Apart from their conservation
value, many of the grassland plants have medicinal, cultural and nutritional value for the local rural
communities. A herdsman offering Zantedeschia tubers for sale was encountered, and erosion caused
by overgrazing was noticed. Irreversible transformation of grasslands needs to be controlled as the
most critical ecosystem function that pristine grasslands fulfil is that of water catchment. In a waterstressed
country such as South Africa, their role as collectors of rainwater and their ability to hold water
underground, or in form of wetlands, and then slowly release it throughout the year is crucial.
the Sekhukhuneland Centre of Endemism.Ph.D. thesis,
University of Pretoria, Pretoria.
Internet Resources:
1. www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_pedi.html
2. www.encyclopedia.com/
3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedi_people
4. www.ezakwantu.com
5. www.dwa.gov.za/ORWRDP/Dehoop/index.asp
6. www.sekhukhune.gov.za/
7. www.sahistory.org.za/, South African History online
tree stories
boomstories
25
DENDRON » No/Nr: 43 » November 2011