REG. 126-240 NPO

INHOUD/CONTENT Barberton’s Rimers Creek crisis on The Heritage Portal A conservation perspective on Rimers Creek Inside the Masonic Lodge Blyde Sir George Farrar, Grand Master 1915 In search of ghost towns White River steam locomotive Hernude verwaarlosing van Belsfast konsentrasiekamp kerkhof Book review: Village in the Mist,

KENNISGEWING/NOTICE Die uitstappie van Saterdag 8 Aug. na Witrivier is uitgestel

met ‘n week na Saterdag 15 Aug. The outing to White River on Sat. 8 August has been

postponed by a week to Sat. Aug. 15 _________________________________________________________________________________________

SA removes sites from the UNESCO world heritage tentative list

Including Pilgrims Rest reduction works

Pilgrims Rest reduction works early 1900’s

Regular Newsletter/Gereelde Nuusbrief

No. 173 05.8.2015

www.routesmp.co.za Click: Follow the history/Click: Mpumalanga Historical Interest

NOTE: That this is not an edited publication but merely a compilation of the contributions and comments as received from members and participants

A regular edited annual will be available shortly

Heritage Portal, Friday, 24 July, 2015 - 11:22

In what has come as a complete shock to many in the local heritage community, six local sites have quietly been removed from the country’s tentative World Heritage Site list. Jacques Stoltz from the Heritage Monitoring Project investigates. The sites in question are: the legendary “copper mountains” of Namaqualand that obsessed and often eluded early Dutch explorers (while inspiring one of South Africa’s greatest botanical works of art, the “Codex Witsenii”, c. 1692), Africa’s first gold industrial plant and arguably the best preserved Central Reduction Works in the world, early industrial scale diamond mining operations (which indelibly altered much of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa as a result of a voracious labour system), 18th and 19th century sites associated with Abbé Nicolas Louis de La Caille’s measurements of the Arc of Meridian at the Cape, pristine coastal dunefields, and an island group described as “one of the most important and well-conserved examples of sub-Antarctic islands…”.

According to UNESCO “A Tentative List is an inventory of those properties situated on its territory which each State Party considers suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List. States Parties should therefore include… the names of those properties which they consider to be cultural and/or natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value and which they intend to nominate during the following years” (our emphasis). Without inclusion on the tentative list, a site cannot be nominated for inscription on the world heritage list. The sites that have been removed are:

Pilgrim's Rest Reduction Works Industrial Heritage Site (added in 2004)

Kimberley Mines and Associated Early Industries (2004)

Alexandria Coastal Dunefields (2009)

The Prince Edward Islands (2009)

The Namaqualand Copper Mining Landscape (2009)

The Cape Arc of Meridian (2009)

Based on an analysis of UNESCO documentation of South Africa’s official tentative list it would appear that the six sites were removed in April this year. In addition, two sites were updated (the Pleistocene occupation sites of South Africa and the Cape Winelands Cultural Landscape) and the inclusion of a new serial listing entitled “Human Rights, Liberation Struggle and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (2015)”. The tentative listing of the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2009) – an extension of the Cape Floral Kingdom (originally inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2004) – resulted in the formal extension of the clusters making up the site from eight to thirteen sites. This extension brings the total site to 1,094,742 hectares. These changes are summarised below:

Previous tentative list (2014) Current tentative list (2015)

Pleistocene occupation sites of:

Klasies River

Border Cave

Wonderwerk Cave and

comparable sites relating to the

emergence of modern humans (1998)

The Emergence of Modern Humans: The

Pleistocene occupation sites of South Africa (2015)

Pilgrim's Rest Reduction Works Industrial

Heritage Site (2004) Removed from list

Kimberley Mines and Associated Early

Industries (2004) Removed from list

The !Xam Khomani Heartland (2004) The !Xam Khomani Heartland (2004)

Alexandria Coastal Dunefields (2009) Removed from list

Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2009) Extensions approved (2015)

The Cape Winelands Cultural Early Farmsteads of the Cape Winelands

While there are still seven sites remaining on the list in addition to the existing eight sites already inscribed on the World Heritage list, the delisting of six sites raises a number of questions: Why has such an important decision not been officially announced by the authorities concerned - principally the Department of Environmental Affairs? What was the motivation behind the removal of the sites? What are the implications of the delisting on the future conservation of these sites given that many of the sites are not even grade I sites at present? Will these sites still be considered for listing at a future date?

The Heritage Monitoring Project is particularly perturbed by the perception among stakeholders that a decision of national interest has been shrouded in secrecy. This is particularly disconcerting as UNESCO expects state parties to “prepare their Tentative Lists with the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders, including site managers, local and regional governments, local communities, NGOs and other interested parties and partners”. Still a guessing game People familiar with the process have told us there are a number of reasons why the state may have delisted the sites. These range from the nominating parties not having the time, resources or technical capability to pursue the nomination process, limited progress with the listing process by the teams working on the nominations or even that the sites may no longer meet the criteria for outstanding universal value. It may also be a case of the state wanting fewer sites in order to refocus resources on those sites that are more advanced with their preparations. Current fiscal constraints are obviously also a consideration particularly in the case of provinces with more limited resources such as the Eastern Cape, the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga.

On the other hand it might also be that government is wary of listing sites that involve multiple land ownership, as would be the case at the Namaqualand Copper Mining Landscape – considering the problems experienced at Vredefort Dome and to a lessor extent the Cradle of Humankind WHS. However, this would not be the case at most of the other sites, as many are all state owned or owned by a small number of owners.

Land ownership issues have plagued the Vredefort Dome According to a media statement issued by the Department of Environmental Affairs in July this year announcing the extension of the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas there clearly has been a rethink within government regarding UNESCO sites: “The last time South Africa had a site inscribed on the World Heritage List was in 2007 with the inscription of the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape. Since then the government shifted its focus to improving the management of the sites that are already inscribed and to put in place measures to minimise challenges experienced in world heritage sites. As a result, no new nominations were submitted to UNESCO from 2007 until now. The extension of the Cape Floral Region is the first nomination to be submitted after the development of the Procedure for Nomination of World Heritage Sites. As new nominations are also being compiled, it is envisaged that in the next few years the number of World Heritage Sites in South Africa will increase and thus increasing the size of the conservation estate.” (Our emphasis). In 2014, the Department also issued new procedures for the nomination of world heritage sites which covers tentative listings as well.

Landscape (2009) (2015)

The Barberton Mountain Land, Barberton

Greenstone Belt or Makhonjwa Mountains (2009)

The Barberton Mountain Land, Barberton

Greenstone Belt or Makhonjwa Mountains (2009)

The Prince Edward Islands (2009) Removed from list

Succulent Karoo Protected Areas (2009) Succulent Karoo Protected Areas (2009)

Liberation Heritage Route (2009) Liberation Heritage Route (2009)

The Namaqualand Copper Mining

Landscape (2009) Removed from list

The Cape Arc of Meridian (2009) Removed from list

-

Human Rights, Liberation Struggle and

Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites

(2015)

HASA response For Len Raymond, Chairperson of the Heritage Association of South Africa (HASA) the delisting of sites may be a double-edged sword, “On the one hand it may not necessarily be a bad thing as there will be more resources available within the Ministry to guide the teams working on the remaining list of sites. Over the past few years South Africa has been losing steam where it comes to the inscription of new sites – particularly among cultural sites. We are also obviously concerned about the fact that UNESCO sites might detract attention from national sites that should be accorded the same attention and resources as UNESCO site nominations. On the other hand we are deeply concerned about the delisting of an entire group of highly significant industrial sites at Namaqualand, Kimberley and Pilgrim’s Rest – these sites we believe carry huge value to the peoples of Southern Africa and beyond – given the extent of the labour footprint we are talking about – the sites therefore undoubtedly deserve international recognition. We are also particularly concerned about the poor state of conservation at these sites – even the Public Protector stated that the management of Pilgrim’s Rest is shocking. Then there are the tourism implications. It is internationally accepted that UNESCO world heritage inscription brings much needed tourism receipts into rural destinations that would otherwise struggle to sustain meaningful local economies. Given the significant recent drop in international arrivals to South Africa, the outlook for attractions such as Kimberley and Pilgrim’s Rest is particularly dire. Recent media reports have highlighted the drop in visitor numbers at Pilgrim’s Rest which has resulted in the closure of businesses and the inevitable job losses this entails. We are also somewhat intrigued by the decision to have a separate listing of the legacy sites associated with former State President Nelson Mandela as distinct from the National Liberation Route. An analysis of the sites involved shows some overlap. Given the resources involved it might’ve been more cost effective to keep the listing and nomination as one. Perhaps the National Heritage Council (who is driving the National Liberation Route) felt that the Mandela sites are more advanced although this needs to be questioned given concerns about the management of some of the Mandela sites”.

How will the delisting affect Pilgrims Rest? Freedom Park - One of the 'Mandela Sites' Of course we can only speculate at this stage as at the time of going to press no response has been received to our queries from the Department of Environmental Affairs. Until such time as we have official answers from the relevant authorities involved, we can only take comfort in the fact that the sites have formal protection in terms of national legislation. The SAHRIS database shows that Kimberley has a number of grade II heritage sites that are related to mining heritage. In Namaqualand Van der Stel’s copper mine, a copper smelting chimney in Springbok and an old smoke stack and Cornish pump building in Okiep are grade II sites. In terms of the Cape Arc of Meridian Maclear's Beacon on Table Mountain is formally protected as part of an existing world heritage site while the northern terminal of Maclear's Arc of Meridian at Klipfontein, is a grade II site. The status of other sites associated with the measurements is however not known at present. Museum Display Kimberley (Jacques Stoltz) The Prince Edward Islands are declared Special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act and are also Ramsar wetland sites. The Alexandria Dunefields is a privately owned reserve. Shell middens on the site would automatically be protected in terms of the NHRA. Disconcertingly however Pilgrim’s Rest is not listed as a declared grade II site as would be expected given its former status as a national monument. We have sent queries to the Mpumalanga Heritage Resources Authority for clarity. “We hope that the South African Heritage Resources Authority investigates the declaration of these sites as grade I sites to ensure that they may be reconsidered at a future date for UNESCO listing”, Raymond concludes. The Heritage Monitoring Project and the Heritage Portal will post updates as this story unfolds.

Barberton’s Rimers Creek crisis on The Heritage Portal

Monday, 13 July, 2015 - 16:19

In 2013 Chris Rippon and Marjory Nunns compiled the article 'Scandal brewing in Barberton'. Almost two years have passed and the scandal is definitely here. Read on for details from the same authors. Following the eight year battle to prevent the rezoning of the irreplaceable historic site of the Central Mill in Rimer’s Creek from Public Open Space to ‘Special’ for Light Industrial purposes, and a shocking EIA process, I&APs recently won their Appeal against the environmental authorization issued by MDEDET in the ROD dated 12 August 2013. This authorisation paved the way for what was basically a heavy load truck parking lot in the historical heart of Barberton. However, before finalization of the 18 month Appeal decision making process and without the knowledge of the community - and despite an assurance to the contrary - the Municipality transferred the land to the Applicant! Six months after the event I&APs discovered that transfer took place on 4 December 2014 but they were never notified officially, they know very little, and only found out because the Appeal Decision made reference to the transfer of property. However, following a query from the Ratepayers Association on 11 May 2015, the municipality confirmed that all the relevant conditions had been complied with and an advocate acting on our behalf was subsequently advised that rezoning had taken place. To date, despite requests for information over two months ago – including proof that the various conditions had been complied with - nothing meaningful has been received. Unfortunately, the only conclusion I&APs can draw from all of this is that the Municipality did not want I&APs to know about the transfer and the lack of documentation proving what happened when and that all conditions were met is cause for concern. Although I&APs are still pretty much in the dark what they do know is that whatever happened took place despite a Heritage Report recommending that the proposed development be rejected and the area rehabilitated – supported by the Mpumalanga Heritage Resources Authority - and it happened without the necessary permit. There was also a problem with the actual ROD – which appears to have been used to approach the municipality - because no authorisation was ever issued for rezoning the public open space. But, this didn’t stop the transfer and I&APs are in a worse position than they were at the start of this shocking and never-ending saga. It would also appear that nothing has been learned from this eight year saga because heavy earth moving machinery was in evidence on the site a few weeks ago and a certain amount of clearing took place near the entrance. As such, it was necessary for I&APs to seek legal advice and a lawyer’s letter was recently sent to both the Applicant and the Municipality requesting an undertaking that no further steps would be taken to proceed with the development unless the necessary authorizations were forthcoming. This is where things stand at the moment but it is unlikely to go away in hurry. Based on the facts the proposed development stood no chance but the facts were swept under the carpet along with the Heritage Report!

1880’s

2012

A conservation perspective on Rimers Creek The following was published in Lowvelder of 24 July 2015: For many years the development of some council parkland for industrial purposes in the historic heart of Barberton, was a bone of serious contention between conservationists, the Umjindi Municipality and a private company based adjacent to this area for many years. It now seems if the going ahead was finalised for the sale and development of this controversial piece of land next to the Barberton Museum and the site of the old central ore mill during the heyday of the gold rush to Barberton in the 1880’s. Local environmentalist, Tony Ferrar has been central to this battle since its beginning. Lowvelder requested him to give his perspective on the current situation. The sale and subsequent bulldozing of a piece of Rimer’s Creek in Barberton happened eight years ago without due process being followed and was subsequently declared illegal by the Provincial Environmental Authority (presently DARDLEA). This illegal act was vigorously opposed by the Ratepayers Association, the Umjindi Environmental Committee and nearly 500 local residents who signed a petition objecting to the proposed rezoning. Irricon, an industrial irrigation company situated in the zoned commercial area, wanted the land to expand its premises conveniently for extra heavy vehicle parking and pipe storage. But the necessary pre-conditions for sale were not complied with (ten are documented). As if that weren’t enough the sale price was discounted by 75% for reasons that later proved to be false. The disputed land is in Rimer’s Creek, a public park and heritage site with memorial trees planted in 1980; it is the historic heart of Barberton where gold was first discovered some hundred and forty years earlier. Apart from Irricon’s own property which is an industrial stand isolated by historical changes in land use, the disputed site is surrounded on all sides by public parkland and heritage buildings. The Rimer’s Creek Park was admittedly showing signs of neglect at the time of the bulldozing, which was used as justification by Irricon, but urban parks everywhere are under pressure due to legitimate other priorities. From when the bulldozing happened in May 2007 until now, this wrongful act has still not been resolved by the Local Municipality (ULM). They responded to our public protest with false and misleading information, ignorance, or simply refused to answer questions. DARDLEA also, has acted so as to delay, obscure and deny justice in the most unbelievable way. During the 24G EIA process, they ignored mandatory reports such as the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), lost

vital documents, and yet accepted demonstrably false and misleading information that supports the proponent’s view The serious allegations documented by Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) in their Appeal to DARDLEA and a request for an independent investigation into the entire process by the Department of Environmental Affairs Pretoria - were also ignored. Eventually the parties were forced to accept the need for a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) which was conducted by a reputable expert of Irricon’s own choice, Dr Udo Kusel. The HIA firmly identified the area as an important Heritage Site and vigorously opposed the intended development, recommending rehabilitation of the damaged site. To the present day, these recommendations have not even been acknowledged by either ULM or DARDLEA. However, DARDLEA became far more explicit on heritage issues in an internal memo – sent to I&APs in error - where it falsely claimed to its own HOD that the site had no heritage value! This, when DARDLEA had been in possession of the damning heritage assessment for a full 12 months! We, the opponents to the rumoured re-zoning and sale have accumulated a huge and detailed paper-trail of this sorry saga, it provides a record of startling incompetence and deceit. We have in the last four years made several formal objections, including an appeal against key decisions. Some of these have taken years, literally, to be responded to. Just when we were giving up in exasperation for the n’th time we get a letter to say our appeal has been successful, quote: ‘’ . . appeal against the construction of the storage and parking area on the remainder of portion 14 of farm Barberton Townlands 369 JU, Barberton.” – “ hereby confirm the appeal and withdraw the authorisation.”. We think that our efforts have been successful, in particular those of the indefatigable Marjorie Nuns, at b****y last!! Marjorie Nuns and her husband Andy are much involved with the Umjindi Ratepayers Association of which he is the current chairman. But not quite so. We now find out there is more to be done because while Nuns has been dragging in the Public Protector - overworked doing much more important things like Marikana and Nkandla - and other legal resource agencies, we have been finessed by the Local Municipality who quietly transferred the property to Irricon before finalisation of our Appeal! This happened in Dec 2014, without any due process at all and in the full knowledge of the extent of opposition to this deal. Well it is not over yet - but we may be pushing up daisies before this Government holds its employees accountable for their actions (and inactions).

Tony Ferrar is Chairman of the Umjindi Environmental Committee The influential SA Heritage Portal recently applauded him as author and environmentalist Tony Ferrar for the work he has been doing in Barberton Mountain Lands: Ferrar has been a key personality in the development of the new Barberton Makhonjwa Geotrail, an approximately 40km self-guided trail made up of eleven highly significant geosites. Along with Dr Christoph Heubeck, Ferrar has produced a guidebook to bring the story to life. He also conducts brilliant tours of the area (we were lucky enough to be part of one late last year). In addition to all of this Ferrar has been working with other experts and enthusiasts for the past 6 years to have the area declared a World Heritage Site.

Inside the Masonic Lodge Blyde The following was published in Lowvelder: PILGRIM’S REST - The general public is not always privy to view the inside of one of the many masonic lodges found all over South Africa as well as the rest of the world. The historic masonic lodge in Pilgrim’s Rest, a somewhat small and modest building, pitched high above the street at the top end of the old main road through the village, was recently opened to members of the Mpumalanga Historical Interest Group known as Mpumalanga Heritage.

The current Grand Master of the lodge, Mike Goodwin was so kind to conduct a tour of the two-room building during a heritage weekend held in Pilgrim’s Rest in April. He explained what Freemasonry means and debunked many of the myths of secrecy and danger to society so often associated with the brotherhood. The building was constructed in 1875, and was originally the home of the Purcell family. This makes it one of the oldest structures still standing in this historic museum town. Ten years later the building was procured by a group of Freemasons living in the area, under the chairmanship of one J Harrison, for the establishing of a lodge. The original building was a simple wattle and daub structure but has been modified over the years. The old veranda has been bricked up as an anteroom and the walls dividing some rooms removed. The building was consecrated as a masonic lodge in 1886, but two years later the charter was moved to Lydenburg. The official name, Lodge the Pilgrims no. 738SC remained. The building was then used as a mine hospital until 1905 when it was decided to form a new masonic lodge in Pilgrim’s. This was due to the distance to travel and difficulty of the trip by local members to Lydenburg. Transvaal General Mining Estates (TGME) then handed the building back to the masons together with a generous donation towards the formation of a new grouping called Lodge Blyde no. 1019 SC. From an historic point, apart from being one of the oldest buildings in the town it is also the oldest Masonic Temple still in operative use in the area of the old Transvaal.

Sir George Farrar, Grand Master 1915 The name of G Farrar appears on the role of honour of past Grand Masters in the Lodge Blyde in Pilgrim’s Rest.

Sir George Herbert Farrar, 1st Baronet, DSO (17 June 1859 Chatteris, Cambridgeshire – 20 May 1915 Kuibis, South West Africa, was a South African mining magnate, politician and soldier – Colonel and assistant Quartermaster General – Central Force, Union Defence Force, Hon. Colonel South African Light Horse. Son of Charles Farrar, a Chatteris medical doctor and Helen Howard, the daughter of John Howard of Cauldwell House Bedford and sister of Sir Frederick Howard of Bedford and James Howard MP of Bedford. George Herbert Farrar was educated at Bedford Modern School after which he joined Howard, Farrar & Co., the engineering business of his uncle, Sir Frederick Howard, travelling to South Africa in 1879 to work at the firm's branches in Port Elizabeth and East London. In 1887, shortly after the discovery of gold on the Reef, he and his brothers established themselves in Johannesburg. Here he became one of the leading figures in the mining sector

on the East Rand. His main creation was forming the East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM), [1] remaining chairman of the company throughout his life. In 1893 Farrar sold 1,300 claims to the ERPM and received ERPM shares to the value of £705,000 for his claims in the south of Boksburg, excluding Boksburg Lake. Farrar later received further ERPM shares for his claims over Boksburg Lake, and became effectively the controlling shareholder of the ERPM. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Transvaal and Leader of the Opposition. For his part in the Jameson Raid he was sentenced to hang, but the sentence was commuted to a fine of £25,000, paid by cheque by Farrar's brother Sydney. During the Boer War he raised two regiments of South African Horse, and on 1 December 1900 was appointed Major in the Kaffrarian Rifles. He saw service in the Orange River Colony, took part in the defence of Wepener and saw action at Wittebergen, south of the Orange River. He was mentioned in despatches [2] and was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with 4 clasps, a DSO [3] for his military service during the Boer War and was knighted in 1902. He became chairman of the Chamber of Mines. Farrar was an ardent supporter of the scheme to solve the labour problems of the mines by importing poorly paid Chinese workers on 3-year contracts.[4] Despite strong opposition, the plan was implemented in 1904 and over 60,000 Chinese were brought into the country over a period of three years, resulting in even further ethnic tensions on the Reef. With the attaining of autonomy for the Transvaal in 1906, he represented Boksburg East in the Legislative Assembly and was leader of the Opposition. He represented Georgetown in the first parliament of Union of South Africa in 1910–11 and was created a baronet on 2 February 1911. In December 1911 he withdrew from politics and devoted all his time to his enterprises on the East Rand. With the outbreak of World War I he was visiting England and about to join the staff of General Sir Hubert Hamilton in Belgium, but instead was ordered to German South West Africa as Assistant Q.M-General to Brigadier-General Duncan McKenzie's force with the rank of Colonel. From Lüderitz Bay he was in charge of the restoration of the railway and of supplying the forces with water, critically important in the semi-desert region. On 19 May 1915 while returning from a tour of inspection, his motor trolley collided with a construction train at Kuibis, near Gibeon, and he succumbed to his injuries the following day. He was buried in Bedford Farm Cemetery east of Johannesburg – Bedford Farm was named for his boyhood hometown. Farrarmere, a suburb of Benoni in the East Rand of Johannesburg, South Africa is also named after him as his hunting lodge was located there. He married Ella Mabel Waylen (c.1869–1922) on 3 June 1893 and had six daughters: Helen Mabel b. 1894; Muriel Frances b. 1896, who married Anthony Lowther, Viscount Lowther; Gwendoline b. 1897; Kathleen Elizabeth b. 1907; Ella Marguerite b. 1911. [4] Although Farrar had no male heirs and his baronetcy became extinct, through his daughter Muriel he was the grandfather of James Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale and the great grandfather of Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale. [5] Farrar was a champion athlete in his youth, a member of both Boodle's and White's, two gentlemen's clubs in London and the founder of the Johannesburg Turf Club. He was the brother of John Percy Farrar, soldier and mountaineer. From the Desk Farrar later became an investor in the White River Estates venture and established the farm Bedford on the Waveland Road. It has to be during this connection with the Lowveld that he got involved in the local lodge. Farrar’s grandson, George Turner stayed at Bedford Estate/farm until his death some three years ago.

FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE/MEER KORRESPONDENSIE

In search of ghost towns Shayne Robinson http://www.photojournalist.co.za/ writes on The Heritage Portal: Forgotten Nation - Looking for Ghost Towns I am currently busy with a photographic project called Forgotten Nation where I plan to document the towns and places in South Africa that due to neglect, urbanization and other reasons are becoming ghost towns. If anyone has any information or places and towns that they would suggest that I visit, please let me know. More information and contact details are available on my website here: http://www.photojournalist.co.za (click on Forgotten Nation) Thanks for any help Robert de Jong writes: Ghost Towns project In the previous century, when I worked for the former Transvaal Provincial Museum Service, I came across a number of historic ghost towns in the former Transvaal Province. North of Lichtenburg is the town of Bakerville, once the thriving centre of the Bakerville diamond fields in the 1920s and 1930s inhabited by thousands of hopeful diggers. Close to the Swaziland border (I think on the Barberton-Amsterdam-Piet Retief road) is Steynsdorp, once the centre of the Komati goldfield in the 1890s. In the Gravelotte area is Leydsdorp, centre of another goldfield in the 1890s. South of Polokwane used to be Smitsdorp which was established in the 1880s or 1890s as centre of the Eersteling Goldfields. In contrast to the other three towns there is nothing left at Smitsdorp. Almost forgot about Geysdorp in the NW province SW of Delareyville, laid out 1895. Many former mission stations are also on the verge of becoming ghost towns. Ghost Towns Oudehoutsdraai on the road between Val, and Villiers. The village previously consisted of a school, schoolmaster's dwelling, mill, shop, and several dwellings

And so it starts

There is something very special about being awake when almost everyone else is asleep, it is even more special when you are packing your gear and getting ready to start a new adventure. This past Sunday at 3:30 am, I hit the road for the first time to start my Forgotten Nation project, something that I have worked on and have been planning for the last 6 months. Forgotten Nations could take anywhere from 6 months to a year to complete, perhaps even longer and I will travel between 7 and 10 thousand kilometres while doing the story; this in itself is pretty epic. Due to the fact that I am self-funding this project at the moment, the first batch of towns that I have picked are all within a 200km radius of Johannesburg. This will enable me to head out very early in the morning and return the same day, it is not the ideal way of doing it, but I have to work within the realms of reality until I manage to secure some funding for the project. After picking up Brett Field, who was joining me for the day trip, we headed out onto the highway and made our way to a little town in Mpumalanga called Greylingstad. The town was founded in 1909 by the Dutch Reformed

Church and named after PJGreyling. During the Boer War the Scottish Rifles built a number of small forts overlooking the town and the farms beyond

the hills. The Scottish Rifles laid out the initials “SR” on the hill overlooking the town, and it was always clearly visible from the main street of Greylingstad.

In the 1950s and 1960s the town had a flourishing farming community however when the main road between Johannesburg and Durban was upgraded in the 1960s, a bypass was built around Greylingstad. The town has

never recovered from this and is now rapidly becoming a ghost town as the younger residents leave, in search of a better future in the big cities. Shops and buildings stand abandoned and there are many empty houses in the town that are for sale, not that I think they will ever see life again. The only businesses that are still in operation are a petrol station, two bottle stores, a coffee shop and few Chinese/Indian owned multi-purpose stores. I spent most of the day making some great images of the town and I will definitely be returning once I have secured some funding and I can spend a two or three days there, there are many interesting people to chat to about the history of the town and I look forward to bringing you their stories. After leaving Greylingstad we made our way to Val for a quick recce, the almost unknown little hamlet of Val is about 30 minutes from Heidelberg in Gauteng and only a stone’s throw from Greylingstad on the road to Standerton. On the “right side” of the tracks it is surely one of the smallest, cleanest and most beautiful little towns on the Highveld and with only 28 inhabitants, is really worth a visit. However across the tracks you will find the old abandoned railway houses that stand derelict and covered with weeds and grass. A longer visit to this town is called for and I will defiantly be heading back to spend a full day there finding out about the town and chatting to some of the residents. All in all it was a great day out with lots of lessons learnt and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. In the meantime have a look at this small gallery and enjoy, if you would like to help fund the project feel free to get in touch.

White River steam locomotive Mpumalanga Historical Interest Group Facebook

Rowan Torr writes: Neglected history. White River

Titus Masuku So sad to see this deserted history. Some of us who grew up here once saw this train in real motion from Plaston to Nelspruit. Spoornet or Transnet where are you!!!!

Dumisani Mabuza Please do make comments when we develop the precinct plan for Whiteriver. Matters of heritage and culture will be important. Please do contribute your views and ideas.

Danie De Wet Dumisani Mabuza, see the Facebook group SA Railways Uwolwe, I shared this post with them. A proposal was actually made 3 years ago to restore this loco..... Maybe it can be put to the table again. Tom Vorster We Are White River are saddened by the neglected locomotive engine, overrun with weeds and invasive plants, surrounded by refuse and forgotten, a shadow of its former fine self. It would be a fine project to clean up the area around the engine and remove all the scrap and rubbish. So here is how we are spending our 67 minutes of community good deeds – housekeeping our town loco. Grab a heavy duty pair of gloves, a roll of rubbish bags and some secateurs or a spade and join u...

Spikes Joubert Compare this 1955 passport and minor's details to today's requirements. While based at Graskop Plantation a group of Forestry families and friends went to LM as Mozambique was known in those days. The Graskop station master (Mr Loubser and his family went along as well) The Marias (Traps father of Deon) and Bossie van Rooyen and family went along plus one English speaking forestry family. Went with a 5 ton Chev truck hired from the Liebnitz's. Three or four cars also went along. Travelling took a day to LM. Stayed in a camp site below and north of the Polana hotel. Return trip through the KNP on the Railway concession (remember the Station Master smile emoticon)

Hernude verwaarlosing van Belfast konsentrasiekamp kerkhof

Gert Jacobs skryf op Facebook: Ek en Kim het vandag by Belfast konsentrasie kamp n draai gemaak. Ek was heel geskok oor die skade en toestand van die plek. Daar is grafstene wat omgestamp en toestand beskadig is. Daar is tot n graf wat oopgegrou is. Die kan ek kontak om ondersoek in te stel?

Van die Lessenaar: So ‘n jaar of drie gelede was ons daar om te sien na die nuwe lemmetjiesheining en nuwe grafsteentjies wat plek-plek aangebring was. Die begraafplaas was netjies skoongemaak. Dis sou jammer wees om te weet dat alles so gou weer ongedaan geraak het en dat daar self diefstal van beenderey plaasvind. Merk dat die vlae vir die geleentheid van die herinwyding uitgehang is.

UPCOMING EVENTS/VOLGENDE BYEENKOMSTE Sat. 15 Aug. at 08:00: Casterbridge Cinema Historical White River. Conducted tour of the historic buildings and sites of significance of White River ending with lunch at Casterbridge. Wed. 19 Aug. at 17:30: Lowveld Media boardroom Discussion of future Mpumalanga heritage projects. All that are interested in getting involved with any of our special projects are welcome to join in the discussion and planning. Sat. 12 Sept. at 07:00: Eureka City (meet at Kruger Lowveld Information at Crossing) Visit of Sheba mining museum and historic collection, Golden Quarry and Eureka City Sat. 24 September: Ilanga Mall Heritage Day celebration with ox wagon exhibition. MH/E to stage membership and interest drive. Sat. 10 to Sun. 11 Oct. : Following the Jock Trail A two day excursion following the Jock of the Bushveld trek route through the Lowveld and Kruger National Park

FROM OUR PHOTO COLLECTION/UIT ONS FOTOALBUMS A published photo collection of colonial Mozambique, duplicated on the Facebook page; Moz Info, recently came under our attention. In the weeks to come we will display some of these pictures on this page.

ON BOOKS/OOR BOEKE: NEW/FOR SALE/FROM MY COLLECTION/IN SEARCH OF: NUUT/TE KOOP/UIT MY VERSAMELING/OP SOEK NA:

Writer paints perfect picture of sleepy village

The following review by Marius Bakkes was published in Lowvelder on 31 July 2015:

Village in the Mist, new book on the regional history of the area around Kaapsehoop by Hans

Bornman, is a thorough recording and useful reference to an area most popularly known as a travel

and tourist destination.

Bornman, a renowned local historian has an intense knowledge of this region and it’s past. Together

with his love of the Lowveld and the Eastern Escarpment, this book makes for a visual description of

this exceptionally beautiful part of the country. The origins and past history of Kaapsehoop have

never been documented like this. It offers much new research and information never before published.

For the first time as far as my reading goes, this book offers an acceptable and logical answer to the

origins of the famous wild horses of Kaapsehoop. This explanation I will keep for the future reader

though.

Another interesting fact unknown to me is that a former headmaster at Kaapsehoop school, a

Hollander, Mr Philippus Klopper, was the man behind the famous “veld ponde’’ or field-pound coins,

minted by the Boers at Pilgrim’s Rest to provide the Republicans with their own currency towards the

guerrilla phase of the Anglo-Boer War.

With Bornman’s knowledge of the local vernaculars and his thorough research, he further debunks the

myth around the origin of the original name of Kaapschehoop or Kaapsehoop, which was supposed to

be Duivels Kantoor (The devil’s office).

Old Hotel

It actually used to be Duivels (devil’s) Contour. This is in reference to the steep contour of both

mountainsides and the great difficulty to reach the top from the valleys below.

Information, old and new, is put into context with the village. It is a lively description of the

surrounding valleys such as old Godwan River, today Ngodwana, Coetzeestroom and Elandshoek

which once was an active community of railwaymen, foresters and sawmill workers brought together

by the economic depression between two world wars.

It gives a fascinating description of early forestry life together with the hardship and joys experienced

with the establishment of the forestry industry as a government job-creation project in these parts

since the 1920s.

It also contains an interesting listing of surrounding place names as well as related historical facts.

These include a complete report on the old narrow-gauge railway line from Koedoeshoek to

Elandshoek station between 1915 and the 1930s, first to transport indigenous timber down the

Schoemanskloof, and later oranges and passengers as well.

Village in the Mist contains many rare photographs of old Kaapsehoop depicting the village as it

remained for many years, as well as it is in its current state. With this, one can see the damage done.

Though the original scale and style of many structures built later were duplicated according to the

original atmosphere the village used to have, some land owners have totally overstepped. Large triple-

story monstrosities and thatched structures representing some architectural fantasies gone horribly

wrong have largely damaged the original aesthetics. Overseas as well as locally at historic villages

like Rhodes in the Eastern Cape and McGregor and Grayton in the Overberg, certain aesthetic

guidelines were set by either council or civic institutions, to prevent the sort of damage done here in

recent times.

This book gives a good rundown of the old families and their offspring and a complete listing with a

marked map of the local graveyard.

It also introduces the some of the latter and current inhabitants of this somewhat arty community.

This book is the ideal souvenir to take home for any visitor to this unique and much-loved

mountainous destination. Currently available at R150 at Kruger Lowveld Tourism’s information

centre at Crossing in Mbombela as well as Exclusive Books in Riverside Mall, one can only hope that

the guest houses and galleries in Kaapsehoop will also stock some copies to offer to the many visitors

passing through or making this a weekend destination.

Hans Bornman is available at pioneer@soft.co.za or on 082-706-4385.

Opsoek na twee boeke

Dr. Johann Ernst, Centurion skryf:

Ek is op soek na twee boeke. RW Schikkerling se Hoe ry die Boere

Dorothea Möller-Malan se Saluut vir die Luitenant

Van die Lessenaar:

Schikkerling is redelik skaars - jy moer eintlik sy oorspronkliek kry soos hy dit in Engels

geskryf het: Commando Courages.

Saluut vir die luitenant ken ek nie - vertel meer -

Dr. Johann Ernst, Centurion skryf Saluut vir ‘n Luitenant is ‘n roman geskryf oor Luitenant Gert du Toit, die eerste witman wat

Modjadji II in lewende lywe gesien het. Gert du Toit se Memoirs het verdwyn, maar die

inhoud is grootliks in dié boek vervat. Hy was die hoof van die eerste berede polisie in

Zoutpansberg.

RHODESIAN FIRE FORCE 1966–1980 Africa@War Volume 20 Kerrin Cocks

ISBN: 978-1-910294-05-5 R195.00 + shipping Paperback / 72 pages 130 colour & b/w photos, maps Military History / African Studies

On 11 November 1965, Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith unilaterally declared his country independent of Britain. International sanctions were immediately instituted against the minority white regime as Robert Mugabe’s ZANLA and Joshua Nkomo’s ZIPRA armies commenced their armed struggle, the Chimurenga, the war of liberation. As Communist-trained guerrillas flooded the country, the beleaguered Rhodesians, hard-pressed for manpower and military resources, were forced to devise new and innovative methods to combat the insurgency. Fire Force was their answer. Fire Force as a military concept dates from 1974 when the Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) acquired the French MG151 20mm cannon from the Portuguese. Visionary RhAF and Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) officers expanded on the idea of a ‘vertical envelopment’ of the enemy, with the 20mm cannon being the principal weapon of attack, mounted in an Alouette III K-Car (‘Killer car’), supported by ground troops deployed from G-Cars (Alouette III troop-carrying gunships and latterly Bell ‘Hueys’) and parachuted from DC-3 Dakotas. In support would be a propeller-driven ground-attack aircraft armed with front guns, pods of napalm, white phosphorus rockets and a variety of Rhodesian-designed bombs; on call would be Canberra bombers, Hawker Hunter and Vampire jets.

In spite of the overwhelming number of enemy pitted against them, Rhodesian Fire Forces accounted for thousands of enemy guerrillas, with a kill ratio exceeding 80:1. At the end of the war, ZANLA generals admitted their army could not have survived another year in the field-in no small part due to the ruthless efficiency of the Fire Forces, described by Charles D. Melson, the Chief Historian of the U.S. Marine Corps, as the ultimate “killing machine”. Author biog: Kerrin Cocks has worked in military-history publishing for fourteen years. She ghost-wrote Mzee Ali: The Biography of an African Slave-raider Turned Askari and Scout (30° South, 2006), I Won’t Be Home Next Summer: Flight Lieutenant R.N. Selley DFC (1917–1941) (30° South, 2014) and conceptualized the Africa@War series (co-published by 30° South and Helion & Co.). She scripted, directed, produced and edited the full-length DVD documentary that accompanied Richard Wood’s book, “Counter-Strike from the Sky: The Rhodesian All-arms Fireforce in the War in the Bush, 1974-1980”, which was aired on the New Zealand Documentary Channel, as well as producing a short documentary on the SADF Pathfinder Company. She is an honorary member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry Regimental Association and LAARSA, the Legion of Associated Airborne Republic of South Africa.