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Limpopo State of the Environment Report (Phase 1)

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Phase 1 January 2004

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Limpopo State of the Environment Report

(Phase 1)

January 2004

Produced by:

Africon & Environomics

Joint Venture

Produced for:

Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Development

© 2004, Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Development. All rights reserved.

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CONTACT DETAILS Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Development Mr Johan Botha ENVIRONMENTAL AND TOURISM BRANCH Private Bag X9486 Polokwane 0700 Tel: (015) 298 7073 Fax: (015) 295 7010 E-mail: [email protected] Africon & Environomics Joint Venture Mr Paul Claassen ENVIRONOMICS PO Box 44108 Theresa Park 0155 Tel: (012) 549 5949 Fax: (012) 549 2483 E-mail: [email protected] Mr Thomas R van Viegen AFRICON PO Box 905 Pretoria 0001 Tel: (012) 427 2476 Fax: (012) 427 2250 E-mail: [email protected]

Citation Limpopo DFED. 2004. Limpopo State of the Environment Report (Phase 1). Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Developemnt.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE LIST OF MAPS ABBREVIATIONS i - ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i - xii SECTION A: BACKGROUND 1 Chapter 1: State of the environment reporting 2 1.1 The environment and sustainable development 2 1.2 State of the environment reporting and indicators 4 Chapter 2: Introduction to the report 6 2.1 State of environment reporting for Limpopo 6 2.2 Purpose of this report 6 2.3 Reporting framework 7

SECTION B: THE ENVIRONMENT OF LIMPOPO 8 Chapter 3: Physical environment 8 3.1 Geographical location and size 9 3.2 Geology 9

3.2.1 Introduction 9 3.2.2 The Archaean Formations 12

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3.2.3 The pre-Cambrian Systems 12 3. 2.4 The Palaeozoic Formations 13

PAGE 3.2.5 The Mesozoic Formations 13 3.2.6 Lithology of Limpopo 14 3.2.7 Minerals 14

3.3 Physiography (topography and landscape) 16

3.3.1 Introduction 16 3.3.2 The Great Escarpment 17 3.3.3 The Transvaal Plateau Basin 18 3.3.4 The Limpopo-Sabi Depression 23 3.3.5 The Eastern Plateau Slopes 25 3.3.6 Terrain morphology of Limpopo 26

3.4 Climate and rainfall 29

3.4.1 Introduction 29 3.4.2 Climate 29 3.4.3 Rainfall 30 3.4.4 Evaporation 32 3.4.5 Wind patterns and solar radiation 32

3.5 Hydrography 33

3.5.1 Introduction 33 3.5.2 Rivers 33 3.5.3 Dams 39 3.5.4 Wetlands and pans 40 3.5.5 Groundwater 44

3.6 Soils 47

3.6.1 Introduction 47 3.6.2 Soil types 47 3.6.3 Arable soils 47 3.6.4 Soil erodibility 50

Chapter 4: Biological Environment 53 4.1 Flora 53

4.1.1 Introduction 53 4.1.2 Veld Types (representation and conservation) 53 4.1.3 Floral Endemism 57 4.1.4 Resource Use 58

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4.2 Fauna 61

4.2.1 Introduction 61 4.2.2 Invertebrates 62

PAGE

4.2.3 Fish 64

4.2.4 Amphibians 66 4.2.5 Reptiles 67 4.2.6 Birds 71 4.2.7 Mammals 73

4.3 Protected Areas 75

4.3.1 National Parks 75 4.3.2 Provincial Reserves 75 4.3.3 Biosphere Reserves 75 4.3.4 Natural Heritage Sites 75

Chapter 5: Social, cultural environment 77 5.1 Population 77 5.2 Education 79 5.3 Health and welfare 79 5.4 Heritage resources 84 Chapter 6: Land use, built environment and infrastructure 86 6.1 General land use 86 6.2 Rural settlements 86 6.3 Housing 87 6.4 Water supply 89 6.5 Sanitation 91

6.6 Energy infrastructure 92 6.7 Transportation infrastructure 93 6.8 Telecommunication infrastructure 94 6.9 Waste management 96 6.10 Land uses with air pollution potential 98

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Chapter 7: Economic environment 99

PAGE 7.1 Introduction 99 7.2 Key economic sectors 99 7.3 Economic growth 102 7.4 The size of the economy 102 7.5 Employment 103 7.6 Economic development initiatives 103 Chapter 8: Governance 105 8.1 Introduction 105 8.2 Environmental law reform at national and provincial level 105 8.3 Framework for environmental governance in Limpopo Province 106 8.4 Environmental governance in the province 108

8.4.1 Environmental impact management 108

8.4.2 Biodiversity management 108

8.4.3 Community environment development 109 8.4.4 Waste and pollution management 109 8.4.5 Regulatory services 109 8.4.6 Legal and regulatory framework 112

SECTION C: PRESSURES, KEY ISSUES AND POTENTIAL INDICATORS 118 Chapter 9: Pressures 119 9.1 Introduction 119 9.2 Pressures on physical and scenic resources 119 9.3 Pressures on the biological environment 119 9.4 Pressures on health 120

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9.5 Pressures on education 120 9.6 Pressures relating to population growth 120

PAGE 9.7 Pressures on heritage resources 120 9.8 The pressures on the built environment 121 9.9 Pressures on the economy 121 Chapter 10: Key issues and potential indicators 122 10.1 Introduction 122

10.1.1 Approach 122 10.1.2 Key issues 122

10.1.3 Potential indicators 123

10.2 Key issues and potential indicators for the physical environment 124 10.3 Key issues and potential indicators for the biological environment 128

10.4 Key issues and potential indicators for the social and cultural environment 137 10.5 Key issues and potential indicators for the economic environment 141 10.6 Key issues and potential indicators for environmental governance 143 SECTION D: CONCLUSION 145 Chapter 11: Phase Two of the State of the Environment Report 146 11.1 Introduction 146 11.2 Stakeholder and public participation 146

11.2.1 Stakeholders 146 11.2.2 General public participation 147

11.3 Refining the indicators 148 Chapter 12: Recommended environmental management responses 149

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12.1 Introduction 149 12.2 Inadequate information 149

PAGE 12.3 Inadequate monitoring and research 150 12.4 Inadequate interdepartmental cooperation 150 12.5 Lack of a coherent information system 151 INDEX OF DOCUMENTS USED TO COMPILE THE REPORT i - ix APPENDIXES 1 Appendix A: Climate and rainfall tables for selected towns 2 Appendix B: Wind patterns for selected towns in Limpopo 10 Appendix C: Solar radiation data for Polokwane 15 Appendix D: Rare and endangered plant species 16 Appendix E: Medicinal plants utilized in Limpopo 22 Appendix F: Endemic / near-endemic succulents 26 Appendix G: Indigenous fish species of Limpopo 28 Appendix H: Provincial heritage resources 30 Appendix I: Descriptive inventory of provincial heritage sites 34

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LIST OF MAPS

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Map 1: Location 10 Map 2: Districts 11 Map 3: Lithology 15 Map 4: Terrain Morphology 27 Map 5: Topography / Shaded Relief 28 Map 6: Rainfall 31 Map 7: Drainage Regions 34 Map 8: Hydrogeology 46 Map 9: Soil Potential 49 Map 10: Vegetation 55 Map 11: Protected Areas 76 Map 12: Population Density 78 Map 13: Land Cover 88 Map 14: Spatial Rationale 90 Map 15: Transportation Infrastructure 95 Map 16: Gross Geographic Product 104

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS APPA Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act CITES Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species CMA Catchment Management Authority DEAT Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism DFED Department of Finance and Economic Development DHW Department of Health and Welfare DME Department of Minerals and Energy DWAF Department of Water Affairs and Forestry ECA Environment Conservation Act EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EIP Environmental Implementation Plan EMPR Environmental Management Programme Report GDP Gross Domestic Product HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ICLI International Council for Local Initiatives IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature IDP Integrated Development Plan IDZ Industrial Development Zone LEMB Limpopo Environmental Management Bill NEMA National Environmental Management Act NLC National Land Cover MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework RHP River Health Programme SDI Spatial Development Initiative

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SoER State of the Environment Report StatsSA Statistics South Africa STDs Sexually Transmitted Diseases TB Tuberculosis WCED World Commission on Environment and Development WSDP Water Services Development Plan

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Introduction

In Limpopo where the basic needs of more than 50% of households cannot be met

at present, a large proportion of the population rely directly on nature for survival.

The definition of the International Council for Local Initiatives (ICLI), “sustainable

development is development that delivers basic environmental, social and

economic services to all without threatening the viability of natural, built, and social

systems upon which these services depend” is preferred.

State of the Environment Reporting is an instrument to identify and monitor changes

to the environment that result from human activities. It provides the basis for

sustainable development decision-making.

This report provides a description of the current environment in Limpopo as a first step

to the establishment of a State of the Environmental Reporting System for the

province. Its purpose is to provide adequate information to enable people in

Limpopo to participate in the process of establishing a first year State of the

Environment Report (SoER).

State of the Environment Reporting is a process that has to be developed and

refined over time and is used to:

identify and monitor change that occurs in the environment

determine why change occurs

determine what should be done

communicate the results to decision-makers and the general public.

The development of a State of the Environment Reporting System is a process that

has to be developed and refined over time. It is also important that it is done in close

synergy with capacity and structure building within the department.

This report is the end result of the first phase in establishing a provincial SoER. The

purpose of this phase was to establish the current state of the environment in

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Limpopo and to provide a provisional list of indicators. The results of this phase will be

used in phase two to establish the final list of indicators. It will also provide the basis

for stakeholder and public participation.

2. Description of the Environment

2.1 Physical Environment

Limpopo covers an area of 123910 km2, which is 10,2% of the surface area of

South Africa. It has a diverse topography, with many interesting and valuable

environmental features. The broad terrain patterns of the province are

characterised by the Limpopo Plain forming the northern half of the province

and the Bushveld basin surrounded by the Central Highland, which is

bordered to the east by the Great Escarpment and the Eastern Plateau

slope.

The mountainous areas of the province are of high scenic value and together

with the Lowveld and northern plain areas have great eco-tourism potential

for initiatives such as The African Ivory Route.

Limpopo falls in the summer rainfall region with the western part semi-arid,

and the eastern part largely sub-tropical. The western and far northern parts

experience frequent droughts. Winter throughout Limpopo is mild and mostly

frost-free.

The province has limited surface and ground water resources. Most of the

water management areas are severely stressed and many people still do not

have access to the accepted minimum supply of water. Most of the

province relies on ground water as a source of supply.

2.2 Biological Environment

Limpopo falls within the greater savanna biome, commonly referred to as

bushveld, with a small representation of grassland and forest biomes.

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The rich biodiversity of Limpopo can be attributed to its biogeographical

location and diverse topography.

Three regions unique to the province (centres of endemism) occur in

Limpopo. They are the Drakensberg Escarpment (including Wolkberg),

Sekhukhuneland and Soutpansberg.

According to Veld Types of South Africa, J.H.P. Acocks (1974), there are 15

different veld types in the province.

The natural forests occurring in Limpopo include about 19 000 ha of northern

mist belt forest and a few small pockets of Afromontane forest. Turf thornveld

and Pietersburg false grassveld are also important and threatened

vegetation types that occur in Limpopo. There are about 170 identified rare

and threatened plants in the province, many of which are used as medicinal

plants.

There are currently 52 provincially protected areas in Limpopo Province

totalling 335 601 ha, which, excluding the South African National Parks areas

of the Kruger National Park, Vembe-Dongola and Marakele National Parks

accounts for 5,06 % of the total area of the province.

There are two established biosphere reserves in the province: the Kruger to

Canyons Biosphere Reserve and the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve. Significant

private conservation initiatives such as Western Soutpansberg Conservancy,

Limpopo Valley Conservancy, and Makapans Valley Conservancy are also

under way.

In addition there are 28 registered natural heritage sites in Limpopo as well as

numerous private conservation areas, which contribute significantly to

environmental management in the province.

Most of the larger mammal species are well represented in Limpopo. Some

habitat-specific mammal species are more vulnerable and are restricted to

small distribution ranges, such as Gunning's Golden Mole, Amblysomus

gunningi, which is endemic to Limpopo.

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There are several important bird areas in Limpopo, including the renowned

Nylsvley floodplain.

The total number of amphibians found in Limpopo is 46 species. The Transvaal

forest rain frog, Breviceps sylvestris is endemic to the province.

Limpopo supports 148 species of reptiles, which is indicative of high diversity.

Ten endemic reptile species occur in Limpopo, some of which are range

restricted to the centres of endemism. The only know extinct South African

reptile, Eastwood's Longtailed seps, Tetradactylus eastwoodi, occurred here.

The province hosts a rich invertebrate diversity in all habitat niches. Many

relict species that are very specific range restricted are associated with the

centres of endemism in the province. Invertebrates are currently a core

focus of the Provincial River Health Programme initiative.

2.3 Social and Cultural Environment

The cultural heritage of Limpopo spans the divide between ancient and

modern times. This rich heritage is reflected in the numerous historical,

archaeological, cultural and natural heritage sites in Limpopo. Superb

examples of Iron Age history, pre- and post-colonial history, as well as current

cultural heritage occur throughout the province. Some of the most

significant and most well-known heritage sites of the province include:

the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site

Thulamela Iron Age Site, in the northern Kruger National Park

the Makapans Caves near Mokopane

the Garden of Modjadji the Rain Queen which contains the Modjadji

Cycad Encephalartos transvenosus, the largest single concentration of

single species of cycads in the world

the sacred Lake Fundudzi

the Giant baobab tree, largest specimen in the world

the San paintings of the Waterberg and Soutpansberg.

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Limpopo has a culturally mixed population of about 5, 27 million people,

which is 12% of the South African population. 52,6% of the population is

younger than 20 years of age. The province is predominantly rural.

Of people between the ages of 5 and 24 years old, 74% attend school, 22%

do not attend any form of educational institution, and only 1% attends tertiary

education institutions.

Limpopo is served by a hierarchy of 50 public hospitals, 17 health centres, 432

clinics and 43 visiting points or mobile clinics. These are distributed across the

province. There is approximately one medical doctor per 8544 people in

Limpopo.

The focus of primary health care in the province is on a preventative rather

than a curative approach. The major health problems in Limpopo are

tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency

syndrome (HIV/AIDS), sexually transmitted disease (STD), upper respiratory

tract infections, diarrhoea, bilharzia and malaria. Other health problems

include chronic diseases, teenage pregnancy, unwanted pregnancies, and

malnutrition, injuries due to accidents, substance abuse, skin conditions,

genetic conditions and disability.

2.4 The Built Environment

The policies of the previous regime determined the settlement and

urbanisation processes and patterns in Limpopo. While the larger, previously

predominantly white towns generally developed in response to economic

factors, the spatial pattern of almost all the other settlements was largely

determined by political forces and interventions. These patterns are more

obvious in Limpopo than the rest of the country as a result of the complex

combination of homelands that existed in the province under the previous

political dispensation.

Limpopo is divided into 6 districts and 26 local municipalities. Polokwane is the

capital of the province, and the centre of government and commerce in the

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province. It serves as the regional service hub for a wide area, which includes

parts of Zimbabwe and Botswana. Phalaborwa, Thabazimbi. Burgersfort and

Lephalale are centres closely associated with mining activities, while Tzaneen

is encircled by subtropical fruit, tea and coffee plantations. The towns of Bela-

Bela, Modimolle, Mookgopong, Groblersdal and Marble Hall are associated

with mixed dry-land agriculture. Mokopane is cattle country while Vaalwater

is fast becoming a major service centre for a growing eco-tourism industry in

the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve. Thohoyandou and Giyani are important

centres that service vast areas of rural settlements in the north of Limpopo.

There are about 2 453 settlements with approximately 1 180 000 households in

Limpopo. The majority of these settlements are in the former homeland areas

namely, Gazankulu, Venda and Lebowa. Most of these settlements are not

natural settlements (from an economic and demographic point of view) and

very few of these settlements have developed a sustainable local economic

base. Households survive mainly on grants, contributions from breadwinners

who migrate to urban centres and on income generated from commuting to

farms or towns. Most of the household purchasing, consequently, takes place

in the towns and migrant destinations outside the rural communities.

Most of the households (69%) in the province live in formal houses or brick

structures while a significant portion (20%) lives in traditional houses. A

relatively small number of households live in informal dwellings (6, 6%). The rest

of the households live in other forms of housing.

Piped water in dwellings is available in 11% of households and in the yards of

34% of households in Limpopo. Community standpipes within 200 m of

dwellings serve 18,5% of households while 28% of households are served by

standpipes, which are further than 200 m away from dwellings. The rest of the

households obtain water from other sources such as boreholes, springs, rivers

and dams.

The majority of households (59%) use pit latrines for sanitation. Flush toilets are

available in 16% of households most of which are connected to municipal

sewage systems. A large number of households (23%) do not have access to

toilet facilities. The rest use either bucket latrines or chemical toilets.

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2.5 Economic Environment

The economy of Limpopo is characterised by a small and concentrated

production base and a large consumer population with limited means in

terms of income. It has a high potential for economic development and is

attractive to various kinds of investment.

The agricultural (employment) and mining (income generation) sectors form

the backbone of the Limpopo economy. Nature-related tourism in the

province is also a growth sector. The manufacturing sector in Limpopo is

relatively small, with significant potential for further expansion. The service

sector, especially with respect to government activities, is large and

contributes significantly to the economy of the province.

Of all the provinces, Limpopo has recorded the highest real annual

economic growth rate of 6,8'% during 2001. The rate for South Africa as a

whole was 2,8%. The province also recorded the highest real economic

growth rate of any province over the period 1995 to 2001. The mining,

manufacturing and trade sectors are the most significant contributors to

economic growth in the province. The government sector remains an

important contributor to the provincial economy by sustaining a large skills

base, as well as through transfer payments from the national budget.

Over the past few years mining (24,2%) has overtaken the government (18,1

%) sector as the biggest contributing sector to the Limpopo economy.

Although the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the economy of the

province is low, at less than 3%, it is the second biggest employment sector

providing almost 120 000 of the approximately 664 000 jobs in the province.

Because agriculture is also place-bound it is the backbone of the rural

economy and of stability in the province.

The economic growth indicators for the province are excellent, as the

province has outperformed all the other provinces in respect of economic

growth since 1995. It is, however, important to realise that the size of the

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provincial economy as measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) is

still relatively small at approximately R63,6 billion, which is 6,5% of the national

GDP of about R983 billion. The GDP per capita for the province is about

R12060 per person per annum, compared to the national figure of

approximately R21942.

In many parts of the province, especially in the settlements created through

the separate development policies of the previous government, people are

dependent on subsistence agriculture, government grants, and on money

that is sent home from family members working as migrant workers.

Approximately 1,3 million people between the ages of 15 and 65 are

economically active in Limpopo. About 51% (663 846) of the economically

active population are employed and 49% (632 960) are unemployed. There

are more than 1,6 million people between the ages of 15 and 65 who are not

economically active.

There are 234 mines of different types and sizes in Limpopo. These range from

small subsistence mines to large-scale open cast and underground mines.

Most of the large-scale mining operations are located in the eastern and

western parts of the province, with a few in the northern part.

There are approximately 250 industries in the province of which 24% have

scheduled (polluting) processes that are controlled in terms of the

Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act, 1965. Air pollution measurements taken

at Polokwane, Phalaborwa and Lephalale indicate that the province does

not have an air quality problem at this stage.

Commercial forestry plantations cover 64 534 ha in the province.

Four Spatial Development Initiatives that are intended to accelerate

development in particular areas have been initiated in the province. They

are:

the Phalaborwa Corridor

the Dilokong (SekhukhunePolokwane) Corridor

the North-South Corridor (PolokwaneBeitbridge)

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the EastWest Corridor (MokopaneLephalale).

The Department of trade and Industry also identified Polokwane as a possible

Industrial Development Zone. Pursuit of this objective would see the capital of

Limpopo become an important link in the country’s international trade.

3. Governance

At a national level, South African environmental law was historically fragmented. The

national response to this state of affairs has been the introduction of the National

Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 and a set of specific environmental

management Acts to deal with all aspects of environmental management at a

national level. This process is ongoing and ought to be completed in the near future.

In the meantime, Limpopo has taken the lead in ensuring that environmental

governance in the province escapes the fragmentation it inherited in 1994.

The Limpopo Environmental Management Bill (LEMB), 2003 that is in the process of

being adopted replaces all the inherited provincial environmental laws and

ordinances.

Limpopo has also developed and published an "Environmental Implementation Plan"

to bring legislative frameworks and decisions related to the environment in line with

one another to help achieve the provincial vision of Limpopo as a peaceful, vibrant,

self-sustaining and wealthy province.

The Department of Finance and Economic Development and specifically the

Environmental Affairs and Tourism Branch is responsible for environmental

governance in Limpopo.

The key focus areas and strategic objectives of this Branch are:

minimising waste and pollution in the province

managing the biodiversity of the province

empowering people to take part in sound environmental governance at all

levels

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regulating the use of and impact on natural resources

minimising negative environmental impacts.

Within this branch the following directorates are responsible for line function

environmental governance:

Environmental impact management

Biodiversity management

Community environment development

Waste and pollution management

Regulatory services.

4. Pressures on the environment

Pressures are external forces that are exerted on the environment and lead to

impacts on the environment. It is important to have a broad understanding of

pressures in Limpopo to ensure that the identification of key issues and indicators are

relevant. Pressures have been identified under the following categories:

Water

Physical and scenic features

Biodiversity

Heritage Resources

Health and welfare

Education

Population

Rural settlements

Economy

5. Key Issues

The key issues were defined that reflect the concerns that emanate from the

pressures. The issues are particular to Limpopo and are used as the basis to ensure

that the indicators that are eventually chosen will be relevant to the province. In

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addition the key issues also highlight areas on which environmental management

should focus. This should in turn contribute to the generation of information required

for the indicators.

6. Indicators

Potential indicators were identified to serve as a basis for the choosing of the final

indicators in phase 2 of the project. The indicators were chosen systematically and

attempt to build a logical system that ensures the following:

The establishment of adequate baseline data;

The monitoring of change in the baseline data; and

In some instances, the quality assurance of the monitoring.

The estimated levels of the indicators are also indicated. These are preliminary and

must be confirmed during phase 2 of the project. The levels are:

Level 1: Adequate data are or should be available now for all components of the

indicator and can be used to support the indicator without significant additional

cost;

Level 2: the indicator is presently feasible, but cannot be provided without

additional investment in the data collection process; and

Level 3: no or very little data currently exists for the indicator, and there is no

immediate intention to collect the data.

An indication is also given of the frequency at which the indicator should be

reported on. This must also be confirmed during phase 2 of the project.

The indicators have not been categorized in terms of type at this stage. The

framework, in which the types of indicators are established, should be decided on

during phase 2 of the project.

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7. Phase Two of the State of the Environment Report

Phase 1 of the project focused on the establishment of the current state of the

environment in Limpopo. The second phase of the project should focus on the

establishment of a comprehensive framework for state of the environment reporting.

The framework should include:

A final list of indicators;

An indicator database;

The allocation of responsibility for each indicator;

Links to the national reporting themes;

Political sanction of the framework; and

An implementation and maintenance plan.

8. Recommended Environmental Management Responses

From phase 1 of the project a number of focus areas for environmental

management response can be identified. These include:

Inadequate information;

Inadequate monitoring and research;

Inadequate interdepartmental cooperation; and

Lack of a coherent information system that integrates all the different aspects.

The province also has a number of key strengths, which include:

Strong political buy-in;

Good management skills and capacity;

High level of expertise in certain fields;

Good IT skills; and

Motivated staff.

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SECTION A: BACKGROUND

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Chapter 1: State of the Environment Reporting

1.1 The environment and sustainable development

The world is becoming more and more crowded, polluted and consumptive with

regard to its utilisation of natural resources. As a consequence, natural systems,

which are essential to support life, are becoming ecologically less stable, thereby

also threatening the quality of human life.

The environmental challenge facing the world manifests itself in the following broad

areas:

Consumption of resources;

Pollution;

Poverty;

Energy demand;

Population growth and demography; and

Urbanisation

The concept of sustainable development has generated considerable debate and

even controversy. Much of the confusion has been created by the misuse of certain

terms and the context within which they have been used. For example ‘sustainable

development’, ‘sustainable use’, ‘sustainable growth’ and ‘sustainable economy’

are all used interchangeably when, in reality, they have completely different

meanings.

The term sustainable development has been defined by the World Commission on

Environment and Development (WCED) as “development that meets the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs”. Although this is the most frequently used definition there are many others

that contribute to giving a more complete understanding of the concept.

The above definition is euro centric and has a strong first world bias. It presupposes

that the need of the present generation is being met. In Limpopo where the basic

needs of more than 50% of households cannot be met at present, a large proportion

of the population rely directly on nature for survival. The definition of the

International Council for Local Initiatives (ICLI), “sustainable development is

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development that delivers basic environmental, social and economic services to all

without threatening the viability of natural, built, and social systems upon which these

services depend” is, therefore, preferred.

Figure 1: The sustainable development model preferred by the province

In practice, sustainable development should strive to accommodate two main

objectives. Firstly, there is an intragenerational objective, which strives to improve the

well being of the current population through equitable allocation and utilisation of

resources. Secondly, there is an intergenerational objective, which strives to ensure

that future generations will be better off than existing ones. The two objectives are

linked in the sense that the distribution of rights and assets across generations are

determined by their current allocation and utilisation.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defined the following

principles for sustainable development:

Respecting and caring for the community of life (human and nature)

Improving the quality of human life

Conserving the Earth’s vitality and diversity

Minimising the depletion of non-renewable resources

Keeping within the Earth’s carrying capacity

Changing personal attitudes and practices

Enabling communities to care for their environment

Providing frameworks for integrating development and conservation

Creating alliances at all levels 85.

Healthy Environment

Social Well-being

Economic Prosperity

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1.2 State of the environment reporting and indicators

A SoER is essentially a system for reporting the condition of the environment in a

specific sphere of government responsibility. It assumes that there is a general need

for such information and that the information will be used by various groups as

information to help shape policy, guidelines and general behaviour.

A key decision in establishing a SoER system is the choice of a suitable framework.

Various frameworks have been established and used for SoER locally and

internationally. They include the following:

An Issues Framework that base the system on issues such as waste disposal, land

degradation, biodiversity and ozone depletion.

A Resources Sector Framework that base the system on resources such as

agriculture, energy, forestry and tourism.

An Environmental Media Framework that base the system on environmental

media such as air, land, water and biota.

An Environmental Process Framework that is based on the assessment of the

impacts of human activities on the environment. It is also called the Pressure-

State-Response framework (it has recently been expanded in some cases to

Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) 34.

The choice of a suitable framework is crucial as it will be the key factor in determining

how and what information will be captured.

Indicators provide a means of communicating information about progress towards

sustainable development in a significant and simplified manner. They focus and

condense information about complex issues for management, monitoring and

reporting, principally for decision-making. An indicator will provide a signal to an

issue of greater importance or make more evident a trend or phenomenon that is

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not immediately detectable. In this regard an indicator’s relevance extends beyond

what is actually being reflected to a larger issue of interest.

An indicator set can assist in understanding the current state of an environmental

system and trends in that system. However, like any form of information, there are

limitations to their use. The acceptability of any indicator depends on the availability

and confidence of the data, as well as the interpretation of the indicator.

Interpretation is particularly important, as indicators tend to provide the essence of a

situation rather than the whole picture. The establishment of thresholds can assist in

interpretation, but only in cases where scientifically valid or legal thresholds exist.

The concept of indicators is not new, with indicators being found in many places in

everyday life:

GDP and unemployment rates are common economic indicators;

Literacy rates and life expectancy are common indicators;

The weather report (temperature, pollen counts and rainfall are all indicators);

and

Trends in energy use in a country or region.

Indicators are useful for a variety of reasons, including:

Providing feedback on changes in the system and performance of policy;

Improving the chances of successful adoption;

Ensuring movement towards a common goal;

Improving implementation; and

Increasing accountability 34.

6


Chapter 2: Introduction to the Report

2.1 State of environment reporting for Limpopo

In South Africa there is currently no legal basis for SoER. The Limpopo SoER is being

developed in policy and statutory environments, which are in a state of flux.

A SoER process has to be developed over time. In the case of the Department of

Finance and Economic Development (DFED) it is also important that it is developed

in close synergy with the development of the capacity and structure within the

department.

In Limpopo the approach must recognise the duty of the state and the DFED in

particular towards redressing imbalances caused by the past injustices. The structure

or model of the SoER should, therefore, be sensitive to the needs of the

disadvantaged communities in Limpopo as a specific and central part of the

structure of the SoER. It must also recognise the unique value of biophysical

environment in the province as an important resource that is currently not used to its

true potential.

The commitment of the DFED to gather and compile information in a manner that

will facilitate the sustainable use of its resources provides adequate motivation for

the establishment of a SoER. The system should define the current state of the

environment and also identify indicators that can be used to measure changes to

the environment.

2.2 Purpose of this report

This report is the end result of the first phase in establishing a provincial SoER. The

purpose of this phase was to establish the current state of the environment in

Limpopo and to provide a provisional list of indicators.

The results of this phase will be used in phase two to establish the final list of

indicators. It will also provide the basis for stakeholder and public participation.

7


2.3 Reporting framework

The reporting framework for the Limpopo SoER will be finalized in the second phase

of the project. The provincial SoER should focus on issues of a provincial nature and

should be designed in such a way that it enables links between Local Authority SoERs

and the national SoER. Recent discussions with DEAT officials confirmed that the

Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response reporting framework is problematic

and that there is a new international move away from it. These new trends should be

investigated in phase 2 of the project before a final decision about the reporting

framework for Limpopo is made.

8


SECTION B: THE ENVIRONMENT OF LIMPOPO

9


Chapter 3: Physical Environment

3.1 Geographical location and size

Limpopo is the northern-most province in South Africa. It has international borders

with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. It also borders on the provinces of

Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West.

Limpopo covers an area of 13 948 418ha, which is 10,2% of the surface area of South

Africa. The province is divided into 6 districts namely:

Bohlabelo 19% (2 710 842 ha)

Capricorn 12% (1 697 030 ha)

Mopani 8% (1 109 798 ha)

Sekhukhune 10% (1 338 159 ha)

Vhembe 15% (2 140 708 ha)

Waterberg 36% (4 951 881 ha)

The location of the province is indicated on Map 1: Location. The districts of the

province are indicated on Map 2: Districts.

3.2 Geology 67, 68 and 84

3.2.1 Introduction

The geology of Limpopo is complex and diverse. The rock formations in the

province can be considered in four main divisions based on time and general

homogeneity namely:

the Archaean, generally known as the ‘Basal’ or ‘Fundamental’ Complex;

the Pre-Cambrian, or Algonkian Systems;

the Palaeozoic, pre-Karoo Formations; and

the Mesozoic, the Karoo System.

10


11


12


3.2.2 The Archaean Formations

These formations form the ‘Archaean Platform’ or basement for later

formations. In Limpopo it is the dominant formation in the eastern Lowveld

and in the northern half of the province where it is overlain in places by the

Waterberg System that runs roughly in an east to west direction from the

Soutpansberg to the Waterberg.

These rocks are the most ancient of the rocks in the subcontinent. The old

granites and gneisses and the primitive groups of schistose rocks including

metamorphosed sediments such as phyllites, banded ironstone, quartzite,

conglomerate and limestone, together with rocks of igneous origin, among

which are amphibolites, the ‘greenstone’ lavas and chlorite-schists. These

rocks occur in scattered groups associated with Old Granite-Gneiss, which

represents many masses formed at various periods, some as deep-seated

magmas and others by the partial fusion and re-crystallization of pre-existing

rocks.

3.2.3 The pre-Cambrian Systems

Two formations of the pre-Cambrian System occur in the province. The

Transvaal system is the oldest. The great batholithic intrusion of the Bushveld

Igneous Complex occurred near the close of the pre-Cambrian period.

The Transvaal system forms the rim of the Bushveld basin. The system is

divided into three series, the lowest being the Black Reef Series in which the

dominant bed is quartzite. Its greatest thickness is in the east where it forms

the bold escarpment of the Drakensberg. The Black Reef Quartzite is overlain

by the Dolomite Series and attains its greatest thickness in the northeastern

part of the Bushveld basin rim. The dominant rock in this series is a massive

dolomitic limestone containing numerous bands of chert.

The rim of Bushveld basin is formed of the beds of the Transvaal System, which

have floundered under a magmatic mass forming a lopolith (the saucer-

shaped magmatic extrusion). The magmatic mass now forming the floor of

the Bushveld basin is made up of plutonic rocks, which constitute the

13


Bushveld Igneous Complex. The magma intruded into the sedimentary

formations in three phases namely:

the preliminary volcanic phase;

the plutonic phase; and

the subsequent volcanic phase.

The first extrusions of the magma took the form of lava flows over the

Magaliesberg quartzite, forming the Rooiberg felsites with granophyres in

places at the base of the lavas. This was followed by the major (plutonic)

phase in which the first intrusion was of basic magma, the norite, which now

occupies the peripheral zone of the basin floor. A second, acid extrusion of

magma followed, the ‘New Red’ or ‘Bushveld’ Granite, which forced its way

between the norite and the Rooiberg felsite roof, and now that the roof has

been removed by erosion, the granite occupies the central part of the basin

floor. After this major plutonic phase a final volcanic and minor intrusive

phase supervened, resulting in a group of scattered alkaline rocks such as

syenites and alkali granites.

3. 2.4 The Palaeozoic Formations

The formations of the Waterberg System consist almost entirely of beds of

thickly bedded red or purple Quartzitic sandstones and conglomerates. In the

Waterberg Plateau the maximum thickness is about 225m and the formation

continues in the Soutpansberg, where faulting has duplicated the beds and

given them a pronounced northward tilt toward the middle of the Limpopo

trough. The quartzitic sandstones are hard rocks, which form very strong

escarpments and ridges. These rocks weather into sandy soils. The formation

is a good aquifer, and many streams in the Waterberg and Soutpansberg

areas have a perennial flow except in years of severe drought.

3.2.5 The Mesozoic Formations

Formations of the Karoo System remains north west of the Waterberg Plateau

and in a narrow band north of the Soutpansberg and along the eastern

border of the Granite-Gneiss Complex in the eastern Lowveld. It also overlays

14


a central portion of the Bushveld igneous complex known as the Springbok

Flats. There is every reason to believe that the Karoo System covered most of

the province and that it has gradually been stripped off the underlying older

surface by erosion. The Karoo system is typically a horizontal formation,

except where it is involved in folding. It is the youngest system occurring in

the province and is now in process of being removed by erosion. The Karoo

sediments have been deposited from middle Carboniferous times to the

Triassic, with a volcanic stage closing the period of deposition in the eastern

and central parts of the province. The character of the sedimentation shows

that deposition probably took place in a continental basin under climatic

conditions which began as glacial and changed to cool, warm and finally

semi-arid.

The lavas of the Springbok Flats are mainly basalts but in the Lebombo

Range, where the lava with the Karoo sediments dips seaward to the east of

the monoclinal axis, rhyolites and acid porphyries overlie the basalt and are

succeeded by a second upper layer of basalt.

3.2.6 Lithology of Limpopo

The lithology of Limpopo refers to the spatial location of dominant surface

and subsurface rock types. The description is contained on Map 3: Lithology.

3.2.7 Minerals

Limpopo is rich in minerals with economic value. Predominant minerals in the

eastern part of Limpopo include Platinum and its group metals, Chrome,

Copper, Phosphate and Andalusite. The Western side is characterised by

Platinum, Granite, and Coal minerals, while Diamonds, Coal, Magnesite, and

traces of Granite dominate the Northern part.

Mineral deposits that are currently being mined in the province are

Andalusite, Antinomy, Attapulgite, Calcite, Chrome, Clay, Coal, Copper,

Diamonds, Emeralds, Feldspar, Fluorspar, Gold, Granite, Limestone,

Magnesite, Manganese, Ornamental Stone-Slate, Phosphate, Platinum, Salt,

Sand & Stone, Silica and Zinc. 17.

15


16


3.3 Physiography (topography and landscape) 67 and 84

3.3.1 Introduction

Southern Africa is part of the largest plateau on the earth’s surface, the great

African plateau, which stretches unbroken from South Africa to the southern

borders of the Sahara. Uplifted by the great Mesozoic and Tertiary earth

movements, this plateau forms the largest part of the ancient continent of

Gondwanaland, which also included eastern Brazil, southern India, western

Australia and Antarctica. In each of these supposed fragments the general

foundation is similar – an ancient surface of old rocks (granites, gneisses,

schists, quartzites, shales and other primitive rock, which together, forms the

‘fundamental complex’ of the ancient landmass. Sedimentary beds have

been laid down on this surface, not of marine but of fresh water and Aeolian

origin, which means that the African plateau has been above sea level at

least since the beginning of the Mesozoic period.

In South Africa the original edge of the plateau probably at one time formed

the coastal margin of the continent, but as streams cut back into the plateau

edge and as the sea floor became exposed during uplifts of the land-mass

the edge of the plateau no longer formed the coastline, but became a

physical feature separating the plateau from the coastal region. Over time

with the continued retreat of the plateau edge and with further exposures of

the sea floor the area between the plateau and the coast became so

extensive in places, including in Limpopo, that it is no longer coastal in

character, but rather a region marginal to the plateau.

In Limpopo the plateau and the area marginal to the plateau (the eastern

Lowveld) form the two basic physical subdivisions. The two areas are

significantly different in almost every respect, whether it is altitude, type of

land surface, climate or vegetation. The boundary between these two areas,

the plateau edge or ‘Great Escarpment’ is of particular geographic

importance. The Limpopo tectonic and erosion trough is a major feature that

causes a break in the escarpment and forms a significant depression

westward into the plateau.

17


The broad terrain patterns of the province are characterised by the Limpopo

Plain forming the northern part of the province, the Bushveld basin

surrounded by the Central Highland, which is bordered to the east by the

Great Escarpment and the Eastern Plateau slope.

The main physiographic regions in Limpopo are:

The Great Escarpment

The Transvaal Plateau Basin with the following sub regions:

o The Basin Floor

o The Bankenveld Ridges

o The Waterberg Plateau

o The Soutpansberg

o The Pietersburg Plain

The Limpopo-Sabi Depression

The Eastern Plateau Slope (Lowveld marginal to the plateau).

The basis of classification is altitude and surface form. Geological structure is

a secondary consideration only where divisions are not evident from surface

forms alone.

3.3.2 The Great Escarpment

The surface of the plateau is not an even surface. Its rock formations, climatic

and hydrological factors that impact on the edge vary. The Great

Escarpment in the province is, therefore, a feature that varies in structure,

height, abruptness and steepness of slope. It is most pronounced in the south

and more gentle in the north. It is the most fundamentally important physical

feature in the province as it is intimately related to rainfall distribution and

climatic conditions of the province.

In the southern part, up to the Wolkberg area, the Great Escarpment or

‘Northern Drakensberg’ is a prominent feature in the thick layer of Black Reef

Quartzite. North of the Wolkberg, the Black Reef Quartzite ceases to form the

plateau edge and bends southwestward in the Chunies Mountains. The

Great Escarpment is continued northwards in the granite Woodbush

18


Mountains. The heights of these mountains are explained by the relatively

recent denudation of the overlying Black Reef Quartzite that protected the

granite from erosion. Further north the granite surface lowers and the

Escarpment loses its linear character, being denticulated, as unprotected

granite generally is in humid areas, by headstream erosion. This resulted in a

series of spurs and valleys, and should be regarded as a zonal feature

consisting of irregular slopes between the plateau and the eastern Lowveld.

At Elim the plateau edge ends its course in the province. To the north the

Soutpansberg ridges, with their south facing scarps, cut across the trend of

the plateau edge and where they sink below the Karoo beds in the Punda

Maria area there is no feature at all resembling an escarpment. To the north

of the Soutpansberg there is likewise no plateau edge in the Limpopo valley,

but in southern Zimbabwe the feature is again recognizable in the Melsetter-

Chimanimani highlands.

3.3.3 The Transvaal Plateau Basin

The structural and physiographic basin, which occupies a large part of the

Transvaal plateau, results primarily from the formation of the Bushveld basin

lopolith. The region, therefore, falls naturally into two main subdivisions: the

basin floor and the periphery.

The Basin Floor

The Basin Floor extends from the border with Botswana near Lobatsi in the

west to the Olifants River valley in the east, a distance of about 400 km.

Its greatest width, from the Chunies Mountains in the north to the northern

edge of the Waterberg-Rooiberg, is about 130 km. If the eastern norite

and granite outcrops of the geological basin are grouped together with

the eastern peripheral ridges, on account of their great height, the

altitude of the floor of the physiographical basin ranges from about 610m

feet in the lower part of the Olifants River valley to about 1070m in the

Springbok Flats.

The surface features of the floor are closely related to the geology. The

outer margin of the floor, the norite zone, is predominantly flat near the

19


peripheral ridges but forms a discontinuous line of koppies and ridges

where it is highly mineralised near its inner margin. The Pyramid koppies to

the north of Pretoria belong to this orographic line, and the Swart-koppies

of the Brits and Rustenburg areas. The Lulu Mountains, however, in the

norite of the eastern part of the lopolith, rises to heights of over 1830m

and thus, although geologically a part of the basin floor, belong

physiographically to the eastern peripheral ridges. The inner area of the

floor, formed by the new red (Bushveld) granite, contains no prominent

surface features, except again in the east where the Sekhukhune

Escarpment overlooking the Steelpoort River valley rises to over 1800m.

Like the Lulu Mountains this may be considered as belonging

physiographically to the eastern peripheral ridges.

A part of the floor of the basin is covered with horizontal Karoo shales,

sandstone and lava. This is the Springbok Flats, renowned for the fertility

of its black clay soils weathered from the lava. Unfortunately, the rainfall

is too low for full advantage to be taken of these soils and there is

scarcely any part of the basin floor where cultivation is successful without

irrigation. The intensively cultivated areas all lie along the river valleys.

The highlands peripheral to the Bushveld basin floor are structurally and

physiographically of two types: the ridges formed by the lower beds of

the Transvaal System which subsided in the lopolithic magma and the

plateaus formed by the roof of the lopolith which was somewhat up-

domed by the magmatic intrusion. The eastern Bankenveld areas in the

province represent the first type.

The Eastern Bankenveld

The escarpment of the Black Reef quartzite which here attains its

maximum thickness of 760m accompanies the westward-dipping

quartzites of the Pretoria Series and the dolomite zone. Because of their

altitude and trend parallel with the Bankenveld ridges proper, the norite

Lulu Mountains and the red granite Sekhukhune escarpment have been

included in this region, although geologically they form parts of the

Bushveld basin floor.

20


The cuestas are formed by the quartzites of the Transvaal System, which

are split up into two or more beds. While the Timeball Hill horizon only

forms one prominent ridge, the three Daspoort quartzites form one, two or

three ridges according to the effects of erosion. The highest part of the

Daspoort horizon, however, being the hard andesitic lava. The

Magaliesberg horizon forms in places as many as five separate ridges.

The Waterberg Plateau

The Waterberg Plateau lies to the northwest of the Bushveld basin, where

it forms a highland area with an altitude of between 1068m in the

northwest and nearly 2100m in the southwest. The highest part of the

area is in the south. Krantzberg in the southwest is 2086m, nearly 1220m

above the Limpopo plain at the foot of the cliff-like scarps of the

Waterberg Sandstone.

In the southeast the edge of the plateau is also precipitous in the Sand

River Mountains and the Hang lip Escarpment. The plateau surface

declines gradually to the west, where a well-defined scarp overlooks the

peneplain of the Upper Limpopo valley. The surface of this sub-region is

not even everywhere, but its general character is that of an undulating

plateau surface with rocky outcrops (of the quartzite) and thin sandy soils.

Most of the surface is grass- or bush-covered, but the veld is mostly sour

and there are very few areas suitable for cultivation. In the valleys,

however, the case is different. Although the valley soils are exceedingly

sandy, the rivers are generally perennial and considerable areas of

riparian land are irrigable. The Mokolo, Mogalakwena and Lephalala

Rivers form the largest of these valleys.

Two irregular ridges formed by the Rooiberg felsite and the New Red

Bushveld granite run roughly parallel with the eastern and southern edge

of the Waterberg plateau. Topographically these ridges form the

transition zone between the Waterberg plateau and the Bushveld basin,

forming terrace steps from the one to the other.

21


Although the Waterberg geological formation continues across the

Magalakwin River northwards to the Blouberg, the surface is so worn

down in the Magalakwin valley that topographically it may fittingly be

included in the Limpopo valley, rather than as a part of the Waterberg

sub-region. The surface here is not so flat as on the granite farther to the

northwest, but neither is it truly plateau country. It may perhaps best be

considered as transitional in type between the Waterberg plateau and

the Limpopo peneplain.

The faulted gap of the Brak River valley separates the Blouberg from the

Soutpansberg.

The Soutpansberg

The Soutpansberg is named after the saltpan, which lies in a fault trough

to the north of the western end of the range. The surface character of

the Soutpansberg is the expression of the northward and north-eastward-

flowing streams tributary to the Limpopo. Away from the larger streams

the surface declines from south to north, with no valley to break the rocky

surface. In the west the northern edge of the region is a well-defined fault

scarp.

To the northeast of Louis Trichardt the surface character of the

Soutpansberg region changes. Headwaters of the Njelele and Pafuri

Rivers have dissected the quartzites, forming numerous narrow valleys. To

the north of Louis Trichardt two such valleys divide the range into three

fairly distinct ridges, known as the Eerste (first), Twede, (second) and

Derde (third) Berge. The intervening valleys are narrow, rocky or sandy.

To the northeast of Louis Trichardt, however, the area occupied by the

Waterberg Formation is much broader, on account of strike faulting. The

drainage here is oblique to the strike of the rocks and appears to be the

result of superimposition from the former covering of Karoo beds. The

valleys thus trend northeastwards and provide considerable areas of

cultivable land, but on account of the low altitude the valleys are

malarial. This eastern Soutpansberg area has a much better rainfall than

the western area and the ridge slopes can be cultivated successfully on

22


the basis of rainfall alone. Only the steepest slopes are regarded as

uncultivable.

An interesting physical feature in this sub-region is Lake Funduzi on the

Motale headwater of the Pafuri River. Formed by a vast landslide from

the overlooking sandstone escarpment the lake is a part of the valley,

about a mile long, dammed by the rubble.

The part of the Soutpansberg, which has a special significance in land

utilization, is the south-facing scarp of the southernmost range. Here the

rainfall is somewhat higher than further north, and at Entabeni, to the

north of Elim, the annual rainfall is over 1930mm. The southern slopes are,

therefore, well watered and they provide land suitable for forestry, or for

intensive cultivation. In the north of the sub-region the Njelele River has

been dammed and its valley has become highly productive.

The Pietersburg Plain

The Pietersburg Plain lies to the south of the Soutpansberg and to the east

of the Waterberg plateau. Structurally it is unlike either of the two

Waterberg areas, for it is almost entirely a granite surface, similar in rock

structure to the greater part of the Limpopo valley and the eastern

Lowveld. It is separated from these areas, however, by the Waterberg

features on the west and north and by the Great Escarpment on the east.

It is thus essentially a region forming part of the great South African

plateau, but it lies at a lower level than the adjacent highlands, and so

can hardly be termed a plateau, as it is often called.

From the Chunies Mountains in the south to the Soutpansberg in the north,

from the Great Escarpment in the east to the Waterberg plateau in the

west, the surface is a very gently undulating granite plain, highest in the

southern portion at the watershed between the Sand and Olifants River

Systems, and lowest in the north where the Sand River cuts through the

Soutpansberg, and where the Brak River flows through the great faulted

gap between the Blouberg and Soutpansberg. Thus there are differences

in height of nearly 1040m (Snell’s Kop in the Woodbush over 1890m and

23


Sand River Poort about 850m), but the surface declines gently to the north

and few prominences break the even character of the surface.

The most prominent of the mountain features are the three short east-west

ridges of ironstone belonging to the Swaziland System, immediately south

of Marabastad on the Polokwane-Mokopane road. A little further to the

southwest the twin peak of the Ysterberg is of the same formation. To the

north of Polokwane and in the area near the town prominent points

consist mostly of intrusive rocks in the granite, like ’white reef’ kops to the

south of Polokwane, or of hard magnetic-quartz, like Loskop or even of

resistant gneiss or ‘ball granite’ like the numerous ‘island mountains’ near

the Polokwane-Louis Trichardt road. None of these features however

affect the area very much in its land utilization aspects, except that they

emphasize the tendency of the surface to form bare rock outcrops and

areas of thin, poor soil.

The southern portion of the plain is highveld in nature and, largely on

account of its higher rainfall and lower temperatures, is the best farming

land of the plain. Even so, Polokwane has a rainfall of only about 508mm

and the whole area suffers from its surface aspect, given by the down-

slope to the north and west. This produces a rain-shadow effect, which

condemns the greater part of the plain to a rainfall of less than 380mm. In

the absence of rivers large enough to form important storage dams the

plain is therefore suited for cultivation only in the southern portion, and

even as pasture land the rest of the area is climatically handicapped.

3.3.4 The Limpopo-Sabi Depression

The middle Limpopo basin lies in a broad depression stretching from the

Witfontein Rand, at the northern margin of the Bushveld basin, to the western

margin of the Mozambique plain, where a west-facing scarp of Cretaceous

beds ends the depression. In the north-eastern part of the depression lies the

middle course of the Sabi River with its tributary the Lundi, which, together

with the Nuanetsi, the Umzingwane and the Shashi, tributaries of the Limpopo,

rise in the great Southern Rhodesian watershed. Physiographically the floor of

the depression is a plain cut mainly in the Old Granite, the principal

24


interruptions in the even surface being island mountains or bornhardts of ‘ball-

granite’, outlying fragments of the Waterberg Formation, short ridges of the

primitive schists and paragneisses, and patches of the upper Karoo beds,

such as the well-known Mapungubwe Mountain near the Limpopo-Shashi

confluence. From the Tolo Azime Rapids, however, a few miles above

Mussina, the Limpopo begins its decent from the plateau surface and

dissection increases. In the area to the west of the Marico-Crocodile

confluence, between Mahalapye and Mochudi, the extremely even

peneplain of the Limpopo passes without a break into the Kalahari surface,

but to the north of this area the western limit of the Limpopo valley is marked

by the Loale Escarpment to the west of Serowe, and by the well-defined

escarpment formed by the Waterberg Sandstone between Molepolole and

Kanye farther south.

The structural relation of the region to the plateau surfaces to the south and

north is somewhat obscure, but the Tuli (Stormberg) lava, 48 km wide in

places, and with vertical subsurface walls in places, probably indicates a

subsidence trough, which is connected eastwards with the Lebombo and

Manica monoclines. These monoclines are probably the result of the rift

faulting which originated the Mozambique Channel. The ‘Tuli trough’ seems

to be a western branch of this great trough-fault system. On the southern

margin of the depression trough-faulting has also occurred on a large scale

along the northern boundary of the Soutpansberg, and the extensive post-

Karoo trough-faulting to the north-west of the Soutpansberg and step-faulting

with a total down throw of possibly 12200m points to gigantic dislocations in

this area.

The sequence of events probably included a post-Waterberg uplift of the

surface, to the north of the Soutpansberg, the subsequent deposition of the

Karoo beds, transgressing the Waterberg in the south and the Old Granite in

the north. In post-Karoo times the region north of the Blaauwberg and

Soutpansberg was subjected to tensional stresses. In the east the result of the

tension was a general northwards sagging along the northern flanks of the

Soutpansberg and a southerly subsidence by step faulting farther north. From

these observations it seems probable that the Depression originated in these

dislocations, that its extent was limited in the south by the Waterberg beds in

the Blouberg and Soutpansberg and to the east by the same beds faulted

25


down on the western side of the Melsetter plateau. To the north, however,

there were no resistant formations except some of the scattered patches of

schist, and the Limpopo and Sabi tributaries were able to cut back more

easily into the relatively soft granite.

3.3.5 The Eastern Plateau Slopes

Except for Karoo beds of the Lebombo Flats, at the foot of the west-facing

Lebombo escarpment, the surface is formed entirely of pre-Karoo rocks

consisting mainly of the old granite and the Primitive (Swaziland) System.

The old granite normally forms an uneven surface of dissection with the usual

rounded mountain forms. The only other types of granite orographic features

are formed by younger intrusive rocks, such as the Mashishimala Hills in the

Phalaborwa granite and syenite between the Olifants and Selati Rivers, to the

southeast of Leydsdorp. These hills, forming a continuous ridge about 13 km

long, rise to a little over 610m above sea-level, and even at so low an altitude

they form one of the few conspicuous ridges in the granite country of the

eastern Lowveld.

The Murchison range, like the Barberton ranges, trend north-eastwards, but

whereas the latter stand at the level of the Transvaal highveld surface and

form the relicts of a peneplain at that level, the Murchison ridges are much

lower and emerge from under the Dominion Reef and Transvaal Systems at

the Great Escarpment to the north of the Olifants River. The ranges of

quartzite and banded ironstone lose height eastwards until they become

insignificant groups of low koppies at about 100 km from the Great

Escarpment. The reduction of the ridges has apparently kept pace with the

westward recession of the escarpment.

The Sutherland range lies between the Murchison and the Soutpansberg. In

structure and form it is almost identical with the Murchison, but it is in a more

advanced stage of reduction so that the ridges are continuous only for short

distances, becoming fragmented into low koppies to the east and north.

26


3.3.6 Terrain morphology of Limpopo

The broad terrain morphological divisions are shown on Map 4: Terrain

Morphology. It includes the location of the following morphological

categories:

Plains

Plains and hills

Lowlands with mountains

Hills and lowlands

Hills

Low mountains

High mountains

Table-lands

Distinct escarpments

The topography of Limpopo is also illustrated very clearly on Map 5:

Topography / Shaded Relief.

27


28


29


3.4 Climate and rainfall 3.4.1 Introduction

Limpopo falls in the summer rainfall region with the western part semi-arid and

the eastern part largely sub-tropical. The western and far northern parts

experience frequent droughts. Winter throughout Limpopo is mild and mostly

frost-free.

3.4.2 Climate

The climate of the province is depicted in the following tables. The average

annual temperatures for the southern to central plateau areas of the

province is generally below 20ºC, in the Lowveld and northern parts average

annual temperatures are above 20ºC.

Table 1: Average Annual Temperatures (Degrees C) for selected towns in Limpopo 86 Year

Mo

kop

ane

Lep

hala

le

Po

lokw

ane

Ph

alab

orw

a

Th

oh

oya

nd

ou

1993 * * 18,6 * * 1994 * 20,9 17,7 21,2 * 1995 * 21,9 18,3 21,9 * 1996 18,8 20,8 17,5 21,1 * 1997 19,4 20,9 17,8 21,6 20,5 1998 20,4 22,1 18,4 22,2 20,7 1999 19,3 21,1 17,7 21,3 20,7 2000 18,8 20,1 17,0 20,9 19,9 2001 19,4 21,0 17,5 21,2 20,3 2002 20,0 22,4 18,3 22,0 20,7 2003/10 20,3 22,2 18,1 21,8 20,6 * Data not available/measured

30


Table 2: Average Annual Humidity (%) 86 Year

Mo

kop

ane

Lep

hal

ale

Po

lokw

ane

Ph

alab

orw

a

Th

oh

oya

nd

ou

1993 * * 58,6 * * 1994 * 64,5 55,6 65,2 * 1995 * 53,1 62,1 69.3 * 1996 64,7 63,7 70,7 69,7 * 1997 61,1 62,0 69,5 69,5 69,6 1998 59,7 55,4 62,3 75,6 71,9 1999 59,7 59,6 64,3 81,0 74,2 2000 65,6 68,2 69,4 78,8 72,3 2001 * 68,3 66,9 90,5 69,0 2002 * * 60,0 * 61,8 2003/10 51,5 48,5 57,1 37,6 66,2 * Data not available/measured

Additional climate and rainfall information is included in Appendix A. Please

note that the data in the appendix is dated. Newer information is not

available for a number of towns as the Weather Bureau discontinued

measurements in certain towns.

3.4.3 Rainfall

The largest portion of the province has a mean annual rainfall of between

300 and 500mm. The southwestern part has an annual rainfall of up to 700mm

a year and in the Lowveld the rainfall can exceed 1 000mm a year in places.

The mean annual precipitation is indicated on Map 6: Rainfall.

31


32


Table 3: Total Annual Rainfall Data (mm) for selected towns in Limpopo 87 Year

Mo

kop

ane

Lep

hal

ale

Po

lokw

ane

Ph

alab

orw

a

Th

oh

oya

nd

ou

1993 * * 356,3 * * 1994 * 317,2 381,6 144,2 * 1995 * 526,2 678,0 252,4 * 1996 797,6 550,4 869,4 593,2 * 1997 470,4 471,0 584,8 311,6 415,41998 366,0 410,2 438,2 285,2 722,81999 379,2 259,6 368,8 521,4 872,02000 456,6 466,6 637,4 769,2 1968,22001 98,8 522,6 480,6 580,6 1004,2 2002 132,0 308,4 254,6 169,8 362,42003/10 52,8 169,6 151,8 187,6 329,4* Data not available/measured

Additional climate and rainfall information is included in Appendix A.

3.4.4 Evaporation

The evaporation pattern is similar to the rainfall pattern. In the Lowveld and

northern parts of the province, evaporation levels vary between 1300mm and

2000mm a year. The southwestern part of the province has a lower

evaporation rate of less than 1600mm a year. The northwestern part and the

central section experience very high evaporation rates of up to 2200mm a

year.

3.4.5 Wind patterns and solar radiation

The wind patterns for major towns in Limpopo suggest that wind direction is

mostly from an easterly to northeasterly direction. Polokwane has the wind

and also the highest wind speeds while Lephalale and Mokopane have the

least wind. Wind rises for selected towns are included in Appendix B.

Solar radiation is only measured in Polokwane. The monthly average hourly

radiations levels are included in Appendix C.

33


3.5 Hydrography 12, 13 and 14

3.5.1 Introduction

The province has limited surface and ground water resources. Most of the water

management areas are severely stressed and many people still do not have access

to the accepted minimum supply of water. Most of the province relies on ground

water as a source of supply.

Table 4: The surface water resource in Limpopo 12, 13

and 14 River Catchment (km2) MAP (mm)

Mokolo 14 409 533 Lephalala 6725 469 Mogalakwena 19 314 481 Sand, Nzelele 19 972 453 Luvuvhu 5941 627 Letaba 18 979 584 Olifants 54 563 631 Source: DWAF CWS&SSS – Northern Province, 1998

3.5.2 Rivers

The Limpopo province can be divided into two main drainage regions. The

one region includes all rivers draining to the north and into the Limpopo River.

The other includes the Olifants River basin which eventually confluences with

the Limpopo River in Mozambique. A very small portion of the province also

drains into the Komati/Crocodile catchment, which is located in

Mpumalanga. The drainage regions of Limpopo are indicated on Map 7:

Drainage Regions.

The river systems in the north and east are characterised by a number of

prominent northeast flowing, high flow river systems (from the high rainfall

Drakensberg escarpment). These systems include:

Klein Letaba River with its tributaries (Nsami, Middle Letaba, Molototsi);

Great Letaba River (Thabina); and

Olifants River (Blyde, Selati).

34


35


Low flows runoff, without major impoundment in the upper reaches of the

Letaba River Basin in the high yielding streams of the Drakensberg, and the

areas with the relatively stable run-off-river are largely afforested (Thabina

Dam area).

In the north there are two major regional surface water systems namely the

Levhuvhu and Mutale Rivers.

Surface water in the south is limited to two main river systems namely the

Olifants and the Stillpoort Rivers. The main tributaries to the Olifants River are

the Motsephiri, Ngwaritsi, Mohlaletsi, Motse, Nkumpi and Mohlapitsi rivers.

The Sterk River occurs as the major river system in the western part of the

Province. And the significant rivers in the central part include Mogalekwena,

Chinues and Mopogodima River.

The physical characteristics and sub-division of the rivers in the Limpopo

Water Management Area (WMA) for each sub-catchment are:

The Matlabas Catchment

The Matlabas River catchment, situated in the southwestern part of the

Limpopo WMA, covers an area of approximately 6021 km2. The river has no

major tributaries.

The Mokolo Catchment

The Mokolo River catchment covers an area of approximately 8416 km2. The

tributaries of the Mokolo River are Grootspruit, Klein Sandspruit, Heuningspruit,

Malmanies, Poer se Loop and Rietspruit Rivers.

The Lephalala Catchment

The Lephalala River catchment covers an area of approximately 6747 km2.

The river rises in the Waterberg Mountains and flows through the Wilderness

Area until it flows into the Limpopo. The tributaries of the Lephalala River are

the Melk, Bloklandspruit, Goud and Klip Rivers. All these tributaries flow into

Lephalala River from the left bank.

36


The Mogalakwena Catchment

The total catchment area for Mogalakwena is approximately 19 400km2. It

rises as the Nyl River just south of Modimolle town and flows through the

Nylsvley. The Mogalakwena River starts at the point where Nyl River leaves

Nylsvley and flows past Mokopane. The Sterk River, which rises in the

Waterberg Mountains, flows into the Mogalakwena River about 45 km north

west of Mokopane. The confluence with the Sterk River, Mogalakwena flows

north joined by the small tributaries until it flows into the Limpopo River.

The Sand Catchment

The Sand River catchment has an area of approximately 15 869 km2. The river

has its headwaters just south of Polokwane and stretches to the north crossing

the Soutpansberg mountain range and entering the Limpopo River near

Mussina. The main tributaries of the Sand River are the Hout and Brak Rivers.

Other tributaries are the Diep, Dwars and Dorp Rivers.

The Nzhelele Catchment

The Nzhelele River catchment drains an area of about 3000 km2. The

catchment lies between the Soutpansberg Mountains and the Limpopo River.

The confluence of the Limpopo and Nzhelele Rivers is approximately 35 km

east of Mussina. The major tributaries of the Nzhelele River are Mutamba,

Wyllie, Mutshedzi, Mufungudi and Tshishiru Rivers.

The Nwanedi Catchment

The total catchment area for the Nwanedi River catchment is about 1

135km2. The catchment is located between Nzhelele and Mutale River

catchments. The Nwanedi River flows in the south-northerly direction from the

Soutpansberg Mountains into the Limpopo River. The major tributary of the

Nwanedi River is the Luphephe River.

37


Table 5: Natural Mean Annual Runoff and Ecological Reserve (million m³/a)

Component /Sub-area NATURAL MAR

(1:) Ecological

Reserve (1, 2) Matlabas/Mokolo 381 76 Lephalala 150 17 Mogalakwena 269 41 Sand 72 10 Nzhelele/Nwanedi 113 12 Total 985 156

The Marico, Upper Molopo and Upper Ngotwane are part of the Crocodile

West Marico WMA. These Catchments are situated to the west and form the

Boundary with Botswana. The Marico and Upper Ngotwane Rivers are

tributaries of the Limpopo River, while Molopo River flows into Botswana

before it joins the Orange River.

Table 6: The Crocodile West / Marico WMA Component /Sub-

area NATURAL

MAR (1) Ecological Reserve

(1, 2) Marico 172 29 Upper Molopo 37 5 Upper Ngotwane 14,4 0 Total this catchment 213,4 35

The Crocodile River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River, which

discharges into the Indian Ocean in Mozambique. The Pienaars, Apies,

Moretele, Hennops, Jukskei, Magalies and Elands rivers are the major

tributaries of the Crocodile River. The Crocodile itself does not form any

international boundaries but contributes to the flow of the Limpopo, which

has a multi-national river basin interests.

The upper portion of the catchment south east of Hartbeespoort Dam is

located in the Gauteng Province. The north or northeast corners lie in the

Limpopo Province whereas the central or western sections fall within the

North West Province. The total area of the Crocodile River Catchment has

been measured at 29 400 km2.

38


In keeping with the framework of the National Water Resource Strategy,

discussions have in general been limited to four main sub-areas (Upper

Crocodile, Apies-Pienaars, Elands, and the Lower Crocodile).

Table 7: The Crocodile WMA Component /Sub-

area NATURAL MAR

(1) Ecological

Reserve (1, 2) Upper Crocodile 253 57 Appies/Pienaars 142 34 Elands 113 15 Lower Crocodile 138 25 Total this area 646 131

The Olifants River originates east of Johannesburg and initially flows

northwards before curving eastwards through the Kruger National Park and

further to Mozambique where it confluences into the Limpopo River. The main

tributaries of Olifants River are the Wilge, Elands, and Gaselati Rivers on the

left bank and the Steelpoort, Blyde, Klaserie and Timbavati Rivers on the right

bank.

Table 8: Olifants WMA

Component /Sub-area

NATURAL MAR (1) Ecological Reserve (1, 2)

Upper Olifants 466 83 Middle Olifants 481 69 Steelpoort 396 94 Lower Olifants 699 214 Total this area 2042 460

The Letaba River catchment area is about 13670 km2 . It includes the Groot

Letaba, Letsitele, Thabina, Debengeni and Magoebaskloof Rivers that rise in

the great escarpment mountains and Klein Letaba, Nsama and Molotsi Rivers

as typical sandy Lowveld rivers.

The Levhuvhu River catchment area is about 5941 km2. The Levhuvhu River

and some of its tributaries rises in the Soutpansberg Mountains, flowing about

200 km and confluences the Limpopo River in Kruger National Park. The upper

Levhuvhu, Sterkstroom, Lotonyanda, Dzindi, Mukhase, Mbwedi and

Mutshindudi are steep, narrow rivers with rapids. The Tshirovha and

Tshiombedi tributaries to the Mutale Rivers are steep with rapids too. The

Levhuvhu River and all its tributaries rising in the Soutpansberg are perennial.

39


Table 9: Levhuvhu WMA Component /Sub-area

NATURAL MAR (1) Ecological Reserve (1, 2)

Letaba 574 *Figure not available yet Levhuvhu 519 *Figure not available yet

3.5.3 Dams

Dams form part of the provincial water supply scheme. There are a number of

important dams in the province. The dams on the Lowveld are Middle

Letaba, Nsami, Modjadji, Tzaneen, Phalaborwa, Barrage and the Tours Dam.

In the north, the main dams are Vondo, Albasini, Damani and the Tsakuma

Dam, as well as a lake, Lake Fundudzi. In the central areas the water dams

are Glen Alpine, Chuniespoort, and Molopo Dam. In the western areas,

notable dams are Doorndraai, Rooiwal and Donkerpoort Dam. In the

southern areas the major dams are Arabie, Mahlangu, Vergelegen, Piet

Gouws, Lepellane and Nkadimeng Dam.

Table 10: Dams, water yield and allocations

Availability/Allocations Dam Name Firm Yield in Millions m3/a

Chart Diameter Domestic Other

Tzaneen 74.0 47.1 47.1 Arabie 53.8 34.2 15.0 48.8 Middle Letaba & Nsami

42.0 26.7 16.2 25.8

Ebenezer 31.7 20.2 18.5 13.1 Glen Alpine 24.1 15.3 5.6 18.5 Nzhelele 19.2 12.2 19.2 Vondo Dam 16.6 10.6 15.0 1.6 Magoebaskloof 12.0 7.6 7.6 Damani 6.4 4.1 2.4 4.0 Tours 3.8 2.4 0.5 3.3 Luphephe & Nwanedzi

3.7 2.4 1.1 2.6

Thabina 3,4 2,2 3,4 - Doorndraai 2,6 1,6 2,6 - Albasani 2,5 1,6 2,5 - Molepo 2,4 1,5 2,4 - Dap Naude 2,1 1,3 2,0 - Tshakuma Dam 1,7 1,1 1,7 - Piet Gouws 1,6 1,0 1,6 - Chuniespoort 1,4 0,9 1,4 - Mutshedzi 1,2 0,8 1,2 - Modjadji 1,2 0,8 1,2 - Donkerpoort 0,9 0,6 0,9 - Vergelegen 0,8 0,5 0,8 -

40


Houtrivier 0,6 0,4 0,6 - Lepellane 0,6 0,4 0,6 - Nkadimeng 0,5 0,3 0,5 - Mahlangu 0,5 0,3 0,5 - Seshego 0,2 0,1 0,2 -

3.5.4 Wetlands and Pans

Wetlands are considered one of the most threatened habitats worldwide.

Wetlands play an important role in natural filtration and purification of water

as well as providing habitat to water birds and breeding grounds for a

number of migrant bird species. According to 'Ramsar' a wetland is defined

as “ areas of march, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial,

permanent or temporary with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or

salty…”. This definition then includes pans, springs, bogs, mires, marshes and

riverine wetlands.

Ramsar sites

Only one Ramsar site exists in the Province, the Nylsvley River and

associated floodplains. 47 and 81 Management of the Reserve has been

transferred away from Environmental Affairs and there are growing fears

that the integrity of the Ramsar Site is at risk. A report on the status of this

Ramsar site must be submitted to the Ramsar secretariat in March 2004. It

is unclear who will perform this task. The Bayeni Pans complex is also of

significant conservation value and must be considered for ‘Ramsar’

status.

Limpopo wetland forum

The department facilitated the establishment of a wetland forum in April

2003. The forum, consisting of wetland specialists, will coordinate wetland

research initiatives; review technical documents and will facilitate

wetland projects. The forum currently has a mail list in excess of 70

specialists.

41


Wetland inventories

The inventory of wetlands has been delayed, in order to coordinate the

provincial initiative with the release of NLC2000 satellite coverage

(National Land Coverage 2000). The NLC project and national wetland

inventory project are being coordinated through the National

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). Potential role

players in the provincial inventory project have been identified, but

training in the necessary protocols must still be given. The Limpopo

Wetland Forum will take a lead in this regard.

Although the overall assessment and study of wetlands in the province is

in its infancy, the following have been identified as significant:

o The Mokolo River and associated wetlands;

o The Luvuvhu River floodplains, especially those occurring within the

Kruger National Park in the Pafuri area. These have been identified as

potential Ramsar sites;

o The Mutale River floodplains and associated wetlands;

o Limpopo River wetlands and floodplains;

o Lake Fundudzi – under siltation threat;

o Nylsvley

Currently the only designated “Ramsar” wetland in Limpopo is the

Nylsvley floodplain/wetland, identified as an aquatic waterfowl-breeding

site of international importance.

The study of riparian vegetation in the application of the River Health

Programme commenced in 1999. The Department does not have any

botanists on its staff and as such, RHP partners in the province have

largely conducted riparian monitoring. The Department urgently needs a

riparian vegetation specialist. Threats to riparian vegetation of provincial

rivers may be summarized as follows.

o Deliberate deforestation for agriculture and firewood.

o Alien vegetation encroachment.

o Changing flow regimes.

42


o Overgrazing and erosion arising from poor veld management.

o Sand mining and access for machines to the river.

Table 11: Dominant alien species which are invading river banks SCIENTIFI NAME ENGLISH COMMON NAME

Acacia dealbata Silver wattle

Acacia mearnsii Black wattle

Acacia melanoxylon Australian blackwood

Agave sisalana Sisal

Arundo donax Giant reed

Caesalpinia decapetala Mauritius thorn

Senna didymobotrya Peanut butter cassia

Chromolaena odorata Triffid weed

Eucalyptus spp. Gum trees

Lantana camara Lantana

Melia azedarach Syringa

Morus alba White mulberry

Nicotiana glauca Wild tobacco

Pennisetum cladestinium Kikuyu grass

Pinus spp. Pine

Populus spp. Poplar

Psidium guajava Guava

Ricinus communis Castor oil plant

Rubus spp. Bramble

Sesbania punicea Red sesbania

Solanum mauritianum Bugweed

Xanthium strumarium Large cocklebur

Alien aquatic plants

While the province does have some areas with problem aquatic plants,

their abundance is generally low. The situation is monitored closely.

Table 12: Problem aquatic plants encountered in river surveys since 1995 SCIENTIFI NAME ENGLISH COMMON NAME

Azolla filiculoides Red water fern

Eichornia crassipes Water hyacinth

Myriophylum aquaticum Parrots feather

Salvinia molesta Kariba weed

43


River health programme monitoring

The National River Health Programme (RHP) kicked off at a provincial

scale in 1997. The aquatic scientist of Biodiversity Management is

recognized as the “Provincial Champion” for the programme.

Table 13: A summary of indices and habitat assessments used and the periodicity at which they should be applied (Time periods may vary depending on the level of threat to the system) INDEX FULL NAME OF INDEX RECOMMENDED

SURVEY PERIOD

FAII Fish Assemblage Integrity Index 1 - 2 times per year

SASS5 South African Scoring System (version 5) 2 - 4 times per year

RVI Riparian Vegetation Index 1 time per year

GI Geomorphological Index 1 time per 2 - 5 years

IHI Index of Habitat Integrity 1 time per 2 - 5 years

Habitat Assessment Systems

HQI Habitat Quality Index Each site visit

IHAS Invertebrate Habitat Assessment System Each site visit

Two formal State of River Reports have been produced, while a third on

the Mogol River Catchment is in preparation during 2003. Each river

survey has been used as a capacity building exercise. While progress in

implementing the River Health Programme has been significant, the

current staffing levels in Biodiversity Management do not permit the

monitoring programme to operate at the desired frequency within each

catchment.

44


Table 14: Catchments surveyed completed and in progress, since 1997 and products delivered

CA

TC

HM

EN

T

YE

AR

S

SU

RV

EY

ED

IND

ICE

S U

SE

D

TR

AIN

ING

TE

CH

NIC

AL

R

EP

OR

T

SO

RR

Phalala 1997 FAII Received No No

1997 FAII, SASS4, RVI

Received In Prep by DWAF.

No Sand

2001 FAII, SASS5, Given Yes No

Olifants River


Received In Prep by DWAF.

Yes

Olifants Tributaries


Given In Prep by DWAF.

Yes

Olifants and Tributaries.

2003 FAII, SASS5, In progress Pending Not planned

1999 FAII, SASS4, RVI, GI

Given Yes Yes Luvuvhu

2003 FAII, SASS5, Given In Prep Not planned

2000 FAII, SASS5, RVI, GI, HI.

Given Yes Yes Letaba

2003 FAII, SASS5, Given In Prep Not planned

Mogol 2002 FAII, SASS5, RVI, GI, HI.

Given Yes In Prep

3.5.5 Groundwater 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65

Groundwater is available throughout the province in varying quantities

depending upon the hydro geological characteristics of the prevailing

lithology.

Table 15: Average borehole yields per strategic resource (groundwater) types Strategic No. % 0 – 0,5

l/s % 0.5 – 2,0 l/s

% >2.0 l/s

Major 5112 9% 21% 70% Minor & Poor 9944 38% 36% 26% TOTAL 15056 28% 31% 41% Source: DWAF CWS&SSS – Northern Province, 1998

45


Groundwater resources in the province are classified in three main

categories: major, minor and poor. The major groundwater resources are

found in the central and northeastern parts of the province. The groundwater

resource value in the majority of the province is classified as minor.

The largest concentration of high potential groundwater occurrence is

located in the central areas of the province, on the Pietersburg Plain and to

the east thereof in the direction of Thoyandou. Other small areas of high

potential occur throughout the province. The spatial distribution of

groundwater resources is depicted in Map 8: Hydrogeology.

Electrical conductivity could be an indicator of groundwater quality. The

majority of the province’s groundwater falls within a medium quality range

classification.

DWAF is currently conducting investigation programmes in rural areas of

Limpopo to quantify groundwater use and provide more detail on the yield

and quality of water at all existing boreholes. This information could be used

in future to improve on the reporting regarding groundwater. Currently no

complete dataset to indicate groundwater salinity, nutrients or microbiology

for the province exists.

46


47


3.6 Soils 88

3.6.1 Introduction

Human kind is dependant on soils – and to a certain extent good soils are

dependent on human kind and the use of such soil. Soils are the natural

bodies in which plants grow. It is the structural base of most terrestrial life on

earth. Agriculture relies on soil as one the key inputs to production. Soils also

underlies the foundations of houses and factories, they are used as beds for

roads and influence the length of life of these structures. In the rural areas of

the province they are often used to absorb and break down waste through

septic systems. They are also increasingly being used as recipients for other

more sinister types of waste.

Soil, together with water, sunlight and temperature, is one of the key

ingredients for life on earth. The most important part of soil is the upper layers

where the interaction between clay particles and decomposing biological

matter create a nutrient base for plants. The protection of these layers is

therefore important to ensure that the productive capacity of soils does not

diminish over time.

3.6.2 Soil types

Soil is the product of the weathering of rocks. The type of soils that occur in

the province is therefore related to the parent material, the surface

character of the area in which it is deposited, climate, rainfall and

hydrological systems. There are wide varieties of soils that occur in the

province. The soils are differentiated based on depth, the nature of

diagnostic horizons and materials.

3.6.3 Arable soils

The determination of arable soils is based on a combination of soil depth and

slope angle with the broad soil group of each entry in each land type. A

land type must dominantly meet all three criteria (soil group, soil depth and

slope) to qualify as arable. The classification excludes climate factors.

48


Table 16: Criteria for determining arable potential Criterion Arable Marginal Non-arable Soil group * 1,2,3,4,5,6,12 7,8,9,10,11,13,14 15,16,17 Soil depth (mm) > 500 300-500 < 300 Slope angle (%) < 8 8 - 12 > 12 * Soil groups

1. Well drained soils with a humic topsoil horizon 2. Well drained apedal, weakly structured or red structured soils 3. Imperfectly drained apedal soils, usually plinthic 4. Well to imperfectly drained soils with an E horizon over an apedal or

weakly structured horizon; also regic sand and stratified alluvium 5. Well to imperfectly drained dark clay soil; not strongly swelling 6. Well to imperfectly drained dark clay soils; strongly swelling 7. Imperfectly drained clay pan soils 8. Imperfectly to poorly drained soils, usually with an E horizon over

plinthite, weathered rock or clay 9. Well to poorly drained podzols, usually sandy 10. Poorly drained dark clay soils, not strongly swelling 11. Poorly drained dark clay soils, strongly swelling 12. Well drained dark clay soils on rock 13. Well drained shallow soils on hard or weathered rock 14. Poorly drained clay pan soils 15. Wetland soils 16. Land classes (pans, erosion, dunes etc) 17. Rock

Table 17: Arable soil in Limpopo District / Province

Arable soil Marginal soil Non-arable soil

Bohlabelo 2 710 842 ha

123 579 ha (5.8%)

1 438 526 ha (53.1%)

1 145 977 ha (42.3%)

Capricorn 1 697 030 ha

283 826 ha (16.7%)

909 134 ha (53.6%)

503 869 ha (29.7%)

Mopani 1 109 798 ha

189 651 ha (17.1%)

536 741 ha (48.4%)

380 690 ha (34.3%)

Sekhukhune 1 338 159 ha

291 434 ha (21.8%)

327 960 ha (24.5%)

718 538 ha (53.7%)

Vhembe 2 140 708 ha

249 757 ha (11.7%)

1 227 079 ha (57.3%)

661 859 ha (30.9%)

Waterberg 4 951 881 ha

1 220 900 ha (24.7%)

2 557 273 ha (51.6%)

1 171 853 ha (23.7%)

Limpopo 13 948 418 ha

2 359 147 ha (16.9%)

6 996 713 ha (50.2%)

4 582 786 ha (32.9%)

The soil potential for arable agriculture is depicted on Map 9: Soil Potential.

49


50


3.6.5 Soil erodibility

The determination of soil erodibility is based on the combination of wind

erodibility class, water erodibility group and slope percentage.

Table 18: Wind erodibility classes WIND

ERODIBILITY CLASS

CLAY

%

SAND

GRADE

PARTICLE SIZE (mm)

WIND EROSION HAZARD

15-20 Very fine, fine medium

0.05-0.5 1

7-15 Coarse >0.5

Low

7-15 Very fine, fine medium

0.05-0.5 2

0-6 Coarse >0.5

Moderate

3 0-6 Very fine, fine medium

0.05-0.5 High

Table 19: Water erodibility groups WATER

ERODIBILITY GROUP

EROSION HAZARD

ERODIBILITY

INDEX

SOILS

1 Low 8-10 Humic soils; non-duplex, non-calcareous clays; dystrophic or mesotrophic clays and sandy clays

2 Low to moderate

5-7 Calcareous clays; sandy clays not included above; dystrophic or mesotrophic sandy loams or loams

3

Moderate

4

Calcareous sandy clays; non-calcareous, non-duplex sandy or loamy soils not included above; dystrophic or mesotrophic sandy soils and loamy sands

4

High

2-3

Calcareous sandy or loamy soils; sandy or loamy duplex soils; sandy or loamy E-horizon soils; eutrophic sands

5 Very high 0-1 Very sandy calcareous soils; very sandy duplex, neocutanic and shallow soils; stratified alluvium

The erosion hazard criterion consists of all three sub-criteria, namely slope

gradient, water erodibility index and wind erodibility index.

51


Table 20: Erosion hazard classes

CLA

SS

CLA

SS

D

ES

CR

IPT

ION

SLO

PE

G

RA

DIE

NT

(%

)

WA

TE

R

ER

OD

IBIL

ITY

IN

DE

X

WIN

D

ER

OD

IBIL

ITY

C

LAS

S

0-5

8-10

E1 Land with low water or wind erosion hazard. Generally level to gently sloping. Soils have low erodibility

0-3

5-10

1

5-8

8-10

E2 Land with low to moderate water or wind erosion hazard. Generally gently to moderately sloping. Soils have low to moderate erodibility

3-5

5-10

1

8-12

8-10

E3 Land with moderate water or wind erosion hazard. Generally moderately sloping land. Soils may have low to moderate erodibility.

5-8

4-10

1 2

12-20

8-10

E4 Land with moderate to high water or wind erosion hazard. Generally moderately to strongly sloping land. Soils may have low to high erodibility.

5-12

3-10

1 2 3

E5 Land with moderate water or wind erosion hazard. Generally level to gently sloping land. Soils may have low to very high erodibility.

0-5

0-10

1 2 3

20-40 8-10

12-20 0-10

E6 Very steep slopes with soils with low water erodibility; moderately to strongly sloping land with soils of low to very high erodibility; moderately sloping land with soils of very high erodibility.

5-12 0-2

1 2 3

E7 Land with very steep slopes, causing severe erosion hazard or past erosion. Soils may have low to very high erodibility.

20-40

0-10

1 2 3

E8 Land with extremely steep slopes. Soils may have low to very high erodibility.

40>100

0-10

1 2 3

52


Each entry for each land type was tested against the above criteria, and the

percentages of each land type with each erosion hazard class were

calculated. The dominant erosion hazard class of each land type was

determined and this distribution appears on the map, with Class 1 being least

erodible and Class 8 being most susceptible to erosion.

Table 21: Soil erodibility in Limpopo (%) Erodibility Classes District / Province

E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8

Bohlabelo 2 710 842 ha

17 3.7 14.2 23.0 33.7 6.8 0.6 0.8

Capricorn 1 697 030 ha

11.3 4.6 13.8 9.3 47.9 4.4 2.0 6.7

Mopani 1 109 798 ha

10.1 15.1

12.0 24.1 27.3 7.1 3.5 0.4

Sekhukhune 1 338 159 ha

14.8 10.2

7.8 12.4 24.9 12.6

0.2 17.1

Vhembe 2 140 708 ha

9.3 5.2 17.6 16.6 38.5 11.9

0.2 0.7

Waterberg 4 951 881 ha

28.3 4.3 6.3 4.3 45.3 6.5 0.8 4.2

Limpopo 13 948 418 ha

18.4 5.8 11.1 12.8 38.9 7.7 1.0 4.2

General Erodibility of soils in Limpopo Low

Low - Medium

Medium- High

High

High - Very High

Occur widely

53


Chapter 4: Biological Environment

4.1 Flora

4.1.1 Introduction

Limpopo falls within the greater savannah biome, commonly referred to as

bushveld, with a small representation of grassland and forest biomes. The

topographical diversity of Limpopo greatly enhances the diversity of the flora

of the province. Vegetations relationship to soil and climate influences

distribution, and the high community and species diversity is attributed to the

bio geographical location of the Province, the large altitudinal ranges,

diversity of geological formations, and topography.

Floral sensitivity can be considered in two aspects, namely floral endemism

and vegetation type representation and conservation in the Limpopo.

4.1.2 Veld Types (representation and conservation) 48, 49 and 52

Finer classification of the biomes into detailed subcategories have been

done by J.P.H. Acocks in the Veld Types of South Africa, and recently as the

Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland by A.B. Low and A.G.

Rebelo 49. The former is still used extensively by Limpopo Management

Authorities and is a lot more detailed than the latter. Veldtype classification

are currently being reviewed, which will entail an integration of the work

done by Low & Rebelo and Acocks, and will be significantly more detailed

than both previous works.

Veld types have been delineated from the consideration of both botanical

composition and practical utilization, and can be defined as “ – a unit of

vegetation whose range of variation is small enough to permit the whole of it

to have the same farming potentialities. Acocks 1974 52.”

Based upon Acocks the vegetation of Limpopo can be divided into 15

different veld types. The veld types can be categorised into bushveld,

grassland and forest broad biomes.

54


Table 22: Veld Types of Limpopo Biome Acocks Vegetation Type Bushveld Mopani veld

Arid Sweet Bushveld Lowveld Sour Bushveld Sour Bushveld Arid Bushveld Sour Mixed Bushveld Springbok Flats Turf Thornveld Mixed Bushveld Lowveld Kalahari Thornveld and Shrub Bushveld Sourish Mixed Bushveld Other Turf Thornveld

Grassland North-eastern mountain Sourveld Pietersburg Plateau Grassveld North-Eastern Sandy Highveld

Forest Afromontane Forest

Of the fifteen veld types occurring in the province the Pietersburg Plateau

Grassveld (Pietersburg False Grassveld) occur exclusively in Limpopo. Other

vegetation types, which have been identified as important in the province,

include Turf Thornveld and northeastern Mountain Sourveld, which are under

extreme pressure and are poorly conserved 48.

The veld types of Limpopo are depicted on Map 10: Acocks Veld Types.

Table 23 48 illustrates the percentage vegetation type occurring in Limpopo

and the relative percentage under conservation within and outside of the

province. Typically this type of information is critical in establishing priorities in

terms of bio-diversity conservation.

The natural forests occurring in the Limpopo Province consist of small to large

forests and forest complexes occurring along the Soutpansberg Mountains

and North Eastern Drakensberg Escarpment, with isolated pockets at the

Blouberg Mountains. These belong to the Northern Mistbelt Forest Type and a

few small pockets of Afromontane forest, covering approximately 19 000ha in

extent. The current estimation from data from the forest biome map –

National Land Cover figure of 36 000ha is overestimated. A few small forest

pockets belonging to the Marekele Afromontane Forest Type occur in the

Marekele National Park 26.

55


56


Table 23: Conservation Status of Veld Types (Acocks) in the Province

Vel

d T

yp

e

Siz

e h

a

Siz

e o

f ve

ld t

ype

in

Lim

po

po

ha

% o

f ve

ld t

ype

in L

imp

op

o

% m

od

ifie

d

% t

ota

l co

nse

rve

d

(Nat

ion

ally

% c

on

serv

ed

in

Lim

po

po

North-Eastern Mountain Sourveld

952 840 752474 78.97 45 18.39 6.89

Lowveld Sour Bushveld

1 194180 790 337 66.18 76 8.45 0.59

Lowveld 2 379 110 178 369 7.49 23 20.26 0.28Arid Lowveld 1 900 450 1 147 683 60.39 22 31.73 1.75Arid Sweet Bushveld

1 822 050 1 720 890 94.44 23 0.59 0.59

Mopanie Veld 2 086 800 2 027 848 97.17 7 43.54 2.67Kalahari Thornveld

13 008 190 19 078 0.14 2 0.38 0.0046

Mixed Bushveld

3 986 720 2 895 218 72.62 36 3.88 2.00

Sourish Mixed Bushveld

3448 180 995 065 28.85 27 1.35 0.52

Sourish Bushveld

1 301 870 1 117523 85.83 28 5.1 3.56

Turf Thornveld 587 900 494 137 84.05 94 0,27 0.27Pietersburg False Grassveld

248900 248 900 100 88 0.62 0.62

North-Eastern Sand Highveld

1 475 200 92 934 6.29 52 0.05 0.04

Conservation representation of the vegetation types is of critical importance

for the preservation of floral diversity. The greatest threat was perceived to

be the loss of Afromontane forest, which is floristically poor, but the loss of

endemic-rich grasslands is currently regarded as critical. Most of the natural

forests are in a good state, including 61% of the forest area that falls in

protected areas (land managed by the provincial authority and by the

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry). One third of the forests are in

various states of decline due to the over-utilisation of resources. The forests

are mainly important for their ecological functions, including the protection of

biodiversity. More than 450 plant species occur there, many of which are

57


endemic (98 species). Animal species include 33 forest dependent species

such as the Samango monkey. The forests have a high value as ecotourism

destinations, and harbour various hiking trails and other facilities. Several

forests, such as the Vondo, are of cultural importance to local clans. Although

forests also have a direct use value to communities (medicinal plants, poles,

firewood, woodcarving and lianas used for florist baskets), such use is very

limited 26.

The vegetation of the Lowveld areas are extensively conserved, especially

Mopani veld, which include private reserves, provincial and national parks,

and seem to be well represented. This does not reflect the true state of

overgrazing of the veld due to overstocking in some of the private reserves,

which is having a considerable impact on the vegetation cover. Vegetation

under significant threat from poor management practices, as well as wildlife

impacts includes the riparian forests of the Limpopo River valley.

4.1.3 Floral Endemism 70

Within the provincial boundaries three regions of floristic endemism occur,

namely the Wolkberg, Sekhukhuneland and Soutpansberg Centres. All three

centres have distinctly characteristic mountainous areas. A geographical

region can be called ‘centre of endemism’ when distinguished by a

particular combination of endemic plant taxa. Further ‘endemism’ is a

concept, which is scale related and refers to a taxon limited in its range to a

specific geographical area. This confinement could be due to historical,

ecological and physiological reasons.

Wolkberg Centre

The vegetation of the Wolkberg Centre of endemism is broadly classified

as the North-Eastern Mountain Grassland, characteristic of high-altitudes

and high-rainfall escarpment regions. The predominantly montane

grassland is interspersed with pockets of Afromontane Forest confined to

the slopes of the main Escarpment, and Fynbos on some of the highest

peaks. Sparse to dense savanna develop in the warmer lowland areas.

58


Sekhukhune Centre

The Sekhukhune Centre mapped as Mixed Bushveld is unique and

deserves recognition as a separate vegetation type 49. Pure grassland

occurs on some of the mountain slopes, while Afromontane Forest and

Fynbos occurs on the summit of the Leolo Mountains. There are often very

distinct differences in vegetation between the north and south-facing

aspects of the mountains. This centre is very poorly conserved with one

nature reserve, however the mountainous parts are fairly intact.

Soutpansberg Centre

The Soutpansberg Centre consists of bushveld, thicket, pockets of well

developed Afromontane Forest and grassland on the higher altitudes.

Grassland was more extensive, but has diminished due to farming

practices and diminished fire frequency. Fynbos-type vegetation occurs

in the mist belt of the summit of the mountain range. Typical of the arid

northern slopes of the mountain range are dense stands of Lebombo

Ironwood (Androstachys johnsonii). The Soutpansberg Arid Mountain

Bushveld vegetation type is restricted to this centre of endemism. The

western parts of the Centre have a number of private conservation areas

and several natural heritage sites, comprising of more than 20 000ha. The

Western Soutpansberg Conservancy formed in 1997 conserves the portion

of the mountain range to the west of Wyllie’s Poort. The Blouberg Nature

Reserve (10 000ha) conserves endemic plants and is a fabulous example

of Podocarpus (Yellow wood) Forest. Numerous sacred cultural sites of

great floral interest have been conserved, such as Lake Funduduzi, Holy

Forest at Thathe and holy bamboo at Tshaulu.

(See Appendix F for endemic species inventory per centre).

4.1.4 Resource Use

Current vegetative resource use in Limpopo varies from the basic need for

livelihood and existence, to regulated and illegal exploitation of floral

resources. Within the ambit of the above the future existences of certain

59


plant species have been placed under significant stress. Similarly, the loss of

floral biodiversity can also be attributed to large-scale loss of habitat through

land use changes such as aforestation, urbanisation, mining, agricultural

practices and dam developments.

Large-scale land use changes ultimately have a significant impact on

specific plant species which are not directly targeted, but more so in the loss

of vegetation types and habitats as described in 4.1.2. The removal of

woody vegetation and trees for the provision of fuel, as either firewood or

charcoal making, commercially or for subsistence, does also not generally

target specific species, but contributes to the mass destruction of the

structure of vegetation communities. Especially where the dominant

vegetation community structure consists of woody vegetation targeted for

fuel.

There are currently 170 identified scarce and threatened plants in the

province, many of which are used as medicinal plants 007. The Limpopo

Environmental Management Bill, 2003 refers in schedule 11 to plants, which

require a permit for possession, removal, transportation, and selling referring

to all cycads of the genus Encephalartos. Schedule 12 of the Bill contains a

list of plants for which a permit is required to damage, remove, transport,

export or import in the Province. Many listed plant species are also utilised as

medicinal plants 75.

Specific plant species are targeted for commercial exploitation which

includes the following:

The exploitation of kiaat Pterocarpus angolensis for the furniture industry

as well as for the production of curios has placed significant stress on this

resource resulting in the near extermination of wild populations.

The unsustainable harvesting of plants, seeds, bark and other vegetative

products for the medicinal plants market has reached critical levels of

local extinction for certain plant species. A list of medicinal plants

harvested in Limpopo is found in Appendix E 75.

60


There are currently 63 living species and two sub-species of Encephalartos

cycad species, all of which are endemic to Africa. Thirty-seven of these

occur in South Africa. Eleven species occur in the Limpopo Province of

which eight are endemic. The exploitation of wild populations of cycad

species by collector, as well as for commercial means has placed all

Limpopo species under critical threat. Of the eleven species occurring in

the province only one species Encephalartos transvenosus occurs

prolifically throughout the Drakensberg and Soutpansberg areas. This

species is also being poached, but it is not yet under threat 7.

Status and distribution of cycads in the province 7

o Encephalartos dyerianus is endemic and is confined to a small

population in the Lowveld.

o Encephalartos eugene-maraisii is endemic and occurs in the

Waterberg and is critically threatened by poaching.

o Encephalartos hirsutus is endemic and occurs in the Soutpansberg.

Poaching is a critical threat to the existence of this species.

o Encephalartos dolomiticus is also endemic and occurs in the

Drakensberg. This species has been poached to virtual extinction and

there are only a few isolated specimens left in the wild.

o Encephalartos brevifoliolatus occurs at one spot in the Drakensberg

and there are only a small number of these plants left in the wild.

o Encephalartos inopinus is also endemic and occurs in the

Drakensberg. This population has also been poached virtually to

extinction in the wild.

o Encephalartos nubimontanus is endemic and has been poached to

virtual extinction in the Drakensberg.

o Encephalartos transvenosus is endemic and occurs prolifically

throughout the Drakensberg and Soutpansberg. This species is also

61


being poached, but it is not yet under threat, and still enjoys

protection in a number of nature reserves, especially the Modjadji

Nature Reserve where the Rain Queen also affords them protection.

o Encephalartos cupidus occurred in the province but seems to have

been exterminated in the wild. This species still occurs in wild

populations in Mpumalanga nature reserves.

o Encephalartos laevifolius occurs in small numbers in the Drakensberg

within the province while larger populations occur in Mpumalanga.

o Encephalartos paucidentatus occurs in one small pocket in the

Drakensberg in the Province while other populations occur in

Mpumalanga.

4.2 Fauna 4.2.1 Introduction

The diversity and distribution of fauna within the province, similarly as with

flora, can be attributed to the diversity in terrain and landscapes, vegetation

types and centres of endemism. Large opens tracts of natural wilderness

supported by conservation initiatives on a formal basis (provincial reserves

and national parks), as well as private land ownership initiatives

(conservancies and bioshere reserves) contribute significantly to the retention

of viable habitat ranges for fauna.

The current threat for faunal diversity is attributed to the destruction of habitat

more than the targeted exploitation of a specific species, which supports the

documented surveys of areas where extinction has occurred and where

endangered species occur. These conclusions are based upon a significant

amount of detailed research, which were conducted on certain faunal

categories in Limpopo during the past political dispensations. To a large

extent this forms the only available information on certain taxa.

62


4.2.2 Invertebrates

Terrestrial invertebrates

Terrestrial invertebrates form the largest portion of the provincial biomass.

Very little detailed or general information exists on terrestrial invertebrates

in Limpopo. Existing information is restricted to the analysis and research

of specific taxa, mostly on genus or family taxon level, or general surveys

limited to a specific habitat or area over time.

Invertebrates cover all conceivable habitat niches, and can be classified

as generalists or specialists depending on their feeding preferences or

habitat requirements. Similarly some specialist taxa are confined to the

centres of endemism, restricted in habitat, vegetation and altitudinal

ranges.

The most researched taxa includes the fruit chafers (beetles); Cetoniinae,

Coleoptera. As per illustration this sub-family of ‘fruit eating’ beetles

cover the spectrum from generalist to specialist species. One specific

species Ischnestoma ficqui occurs exclusively on the Wolkberg in the high

altitude montane grasslands. As a specialist the species has reduced

mouthparts, and does not feed during the adult phase (predominant

phase is the larval phase). The females are flightless further contributing

to the species home range restriction 76.

Within the Centoniinae certain taxa are specific to vegetation types. The

Protea beetle, Trichostetha fasicularis occur almost exclusively on Protea

sp. Natural areas such as the Marakele National Park support large

numbers of these invertebrates. The splendid fruit chafer Taurhina

splendens range extends down from the tropical areas of east Africa till

the northern slopes of the Soutpansberg range 76.

Research is currently being conducted on certain dung beetle species to

determine their value as indicators of ecosystem health, especially within

the bushveld biome structure.

63


The Marieps Charaxes butterfly, Charaxes marieps, was originally

restricted to the high forests of Mariepskop. This species has been

discovered from Mariepskop to the Ceylon Forest north of Sabie and is

limited along the Drakensberg range 077.

In general there is very little consolidated information regarding

invertebrates. A centralised database will increase accessibility to

information, and establish a platform for future research requirements.

Aquatic invertebrates

There is virtually no species-specific information relating to the distribution

of aquatic invertebrates for the province. Researchers and museums

have generated a limited volume of information. Currently, species

information relates to crabs, shrimps and prawns. In 2003, the Albany

Museum with other international collaborating museums undertook an

invertebrate survey in the region. In the Limpopo Province, the survey was

concentrated in the Soutpansberg and Drakensberg Foothills. While

representative samples of all families were collected, the Albany project

will initially provide much needed information on Baetidae (mayfly) and

Trichopteran (caddis fly) distribution 8.

Invertebrates are currently a core focus of the Provincial River Health

Programme initiative. Through this programme, invertebrates are being

identified to family level only. Nevertheless, representative samples are

being collected and are being forwarded to Albany Museum.

It should be noted that invertebrate taxonomists are in very short supply

and it is currently impossible for South African museums to keep pace with

the supply of all invertebrate material being generated through the

National River Health Programme 8.

The Water Research Commission has recently published a series of guides

to the taxonomy of freshwater invertebrates of Southern Africa.

64


4.2.3 Fish 8

All major catchments in the province have been surveyed, and since 1990

surveys have been concentrated in the east flowing catchments. (Luvuvhu,

Letaba, Olifants and Sabie-Sand). Since 1997, fish populations of prioritised

catchments have been surveyed through the provincial River Health

Programme, while tertiary institutions and museums periodically undertake

specialized collections.

There are currently 54 indigenous species of fish in the provincial rivers

(Appendix G), with a further 13 alien species on record.

Table 24: Red Data fish species in Limpopo 73

SPECIES ENGLISH COMMON NAME

COMMENTS

Barbus brevipinnis

Shortfin barb There are currently populations of Barbus brevipinnis recorded in both the Limpopo and Sabie Sand catchments. However, recent genetic studies reveal that these populations are significantly different. The Limpopo population is expected to be reclassified shortly.

Opsaridium peringueyi

Southern barred minnow

This species is widespread in the Soutpansberg foothills, where populations are considered stable. However, in the Drakensberg foothills, this species is now rarely encountered.

Serranochromis meridianus

Lowveld largemouth

Stable populations occur in deep pools and dams of the Sabie Sand Catchment.

65


Table 25: Fish populations of the Limpopo Province which are giving rise to concern 8 SPECIES ENGLISH

COMMON NAMEREASONS AND REMEDIES

Anguilla mossambica

Longfin eel

Anguilla bicolor bicolor

Shortfin eel

Anguilla bengalensis labiata

African mottled eel

Anguilla marmorata

Madagascar mottled eel

All of the migratory eels are now in low abundance. Large dams and weirs and regulated flows are restricting the upstream migration of these fish. The placement of fish ladders on new dams is contributing to their continued presence.

Barbus lineomaculatus

Line-spotted barb Once widespread but now very limited in distribution. Water quality decline and habitat destruction in the upper catchment are thought to be the causes for the species decline. Further research is needed to determine the full status of the population.

Clarias theodorae

Snake catfish While not listed as Red Data, this species, which is abundant in neighbouring countries, is considered Rare in South Africa. Limited provincial populations are threatened by habitat degradation. Regular monitoring is required.

Chiloglanis swierstrai

Lowveld rock catlet

Once abundant in the sandy reaches of Lowveld rivers, this species has taken a significant decline following the 2000 floods. Ongoing monitoring will determine whether this is a temporary decline and whether populations will recover.

Hydrocynus vittatus

Tigerfish

Labeo congoro Purple labeo

Both species are abundant in the rivers of the Kruger National Park (KNP), but are virtually lost to the province outside of the parks boundaries. Barriers to migration and flow regulation are the main reasons for their decline. A tigerfish conservation strategy is in place to re-establish populations of these fish. Tigerfish have been relocated from the KNP to provincial systems and it is hoped the fish will breed. Monitoring of the new stocks is ongoing.

Labeobarbus polylepis

Smallscale yellowfish

While common in neighbouring provinces, this fish has a limited distributed in the province. Conservation of all yellowfish and the promotion of these angling target species are being coordinated through the Yellowfish Working Group.

66


Alien fish species

The problems associated with alien fish are well documented. The province

currently addresses the following policies:

Movement and stocking of black bass.

Movement and stocking of trout.

Movement and stocking of grass carp.

Movement and stocking of problem aquatic species.

Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) is the species providing the largest threat

to our indigenous fish stocks. This species is encroaching into provincial rivers

from the Limpopo River. Anglers also like the species and it is believed that

illegal introductions are further spreading the fish. Oreochromis niloticus both

displaces and hybridizes with the indigenous Oreochromis mossambicus and

the gene pool of the indigenous fish is threatened.

Public awareness must be combined with active management and law

enforcement in order to control this threat.

4.2.4 Amphibians 71

The total number of amphibian species in South Africa is 115. The total

amphibian number found in the Limpopo Province is 46 species, which is a

40% representation of the total amphibian number in the country. Of this

number the Transvaal forest rain frog, Breviceps sylvestris is endemic to the

Province. In terms of the IUCN Red Data Categories the following amphibian

has been identified as either being critically endangered, endangered, rare

or vulnerable.

Table 26: Red Data Amphibian Species 71 Category Common Name Scientific Name

Vulnerable Transvaal forest rain frog

Breviceps sylvestris

Peripheral Ptychadena uzungwensis Leptopelis bocagii Hemisus guineensis

67


4.2.5 Reptiles 3, 71 and 78

The total reptile diversity found in the Limpopo Province is 148 species, which

is indicative of a high diversity. Reptiles in the province can be categorised

into four orders, namely the Chelonii (tortoise, terrapins and turtles),

Squamata (snakes and lizards), Crocodylia (crocodiles) and

Rhynchocephalia (lizard-like). Numerous endemic species occur in the

Province, which is range restricted, some of which can easily be related to

the floristic centres of endemism. The following reptiles are endemic to the

province:

Transvaal Quill-snouted snake Xenocalamus transvaalensis

Lowveld Dwarf Burrowing skink Scelotes bidigittatus

Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing skink Scelotes limpopoensis albiventris

Soutpansberg Rock Lizard Lacerta rupicola

Eastwood’s Long-tailed seps Tetradactylus eastwoodae

FitzSimons’s Flat lizard Platysaurus fitzsimonsi

Relict/Soutpansberg Flat lizard Platysaurus relictus

Orangethroated Flat Lizard Platysaurus monotropis

Muller’s Velvet Gecko Homopholis mulleri

Methuen’s Dwarf Gecko Lygodactylus methueni

In terms of the IUCN Red Data Categories the following reptiles have been

identified as either being critically endangered, endangered, rare or

vulnerable.

68


Table 27: Red Data Reptile Species 3 and 71

Category Common Name Scientific Name Extinct Eastwood’s Longtailed

seps Tetradactylus eastwoodi

Rare

Swazi Rock snake Striped Harlequin snake Transvaal Quill-snout snake

Lamprophis swazicus Homoroselaps dorsalis Xenocalamus transvaalensis

Vulnerable Python Methuen’s Dwarf Gecko Nile Crocodile

Python sebae natalensis Lygodactylus methueni Crocodylus niloticus

Peripheral Variegated Wolf snake Jalla’s Sand snake

Lycophidion variegatum Psammophis jallae

Restricted

Relict/Soutpansberg Flat Lizard Soutpandberg Rock lizard Woodbush/Pondo Flat gecko Muller’s Velvet gecko Lang’s Pink Round-headed Worm lizard Black Whitelipped snakeWoodbush Legless skink Whitebellied Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing skink Stripe-bellied Blind Legless skink Richard’s Blind Legless skink

Platysaurus relictus Lacerta rupicola Afroedura pondolia langi A. pondolia multiporis Homopholis mulleri Chirindia langi occidentalis A. microphthalma nigra Acontophiops lineatus Scelotes limpopoensis albiventirs Typhlosaurus lineatus subtaeniatus Typhlosaurus lineatus richardi

Sensitive reptile areas in the Limpopo Province 3

The distribution of threatened reptiles in South Africa is grouped into a few

highly sensitive areas. The Limpopo priority areas for reptile diversity are:

Soutpansberg and adjacent region

Although there are only 2 vulnerable reptile species, namely the Nile

crocodile and African Rock python; and 1 rare species, the Transvaal

Quillsnout snake, this region has a high level of endemicity (8 restricted

taxa).

A number of conserved areas do occur in the region.

69


Woodbush State Forest and adjacent grassland, Haenertsberg

A small patch of Montane Evergreen High forest (the largest remaining in

the Old Transvaal) and adjacent grassland, which has unusual endemic

reptiles. There are extensive exotic plantations adjacent.

The Eastwood’s Longtailed Seps, which only occurred here, is the only

extinct South African reptile.

There are 2 vulnerable reptile species, namely the African Rock python

and Methuen’s Dwarf Day gecko; and 1 rare species, the Swazi Rock

snake that occur here.

The Woodbush Flat gecko (one population is believed to have been

wiped out on construction of the Ebenezer Dam) and Woodbush Legless

skink were classed as ‘vulnerable’ until they were found on Wolkberg

nearby.

Threats to reptile species in the Limpopo Province

The main threat (to all species) is habitat destruction by:

Urban and agricultural development (by drainage of marshes, crop

planting, cattle grazing, felling of indigenous forests for exotic

plantations);

Industrial development (by dam and road construction, construction of

power stations and cellular phone towers causing road traffic mortalities

(36 different snake species have been recorded dead on roads, including

the python), changes in seasonal flow rates of rivers (affect crocodile

breeding);

Pollution;

Aforestation; and

Mining.

70


Other threats include:

Overexploitation (for muti by tribal witchdoctors (e.g.: Nile crocodile),

some cultures eat python fat and meat, making artefacts for tourists,

pet trade (illegal smuggling abroad of rare species fetch high prices);

Impact of overseas introduced species (various impacts invasive

species have on indigenous ecosystems such as change in hydrology,

nutrient cycling, energy flow, fire regime, etc. Also competition for food

or habitat, and predation);

Impact of local translocations (causing mixing gene pools -

hybridisation, taxonomic difficulties), competition;

Loss of food supply (by overgrazing by livestock);

Extermination (in terms of crop, livestock, game and human protection

– e.g.: Nile crocodile and African Rock python); and

Ignorance (fear of certain species).

Table 28: Reptile species of the Limpopo Province included in the Cites Agreement 3 Crocodiles: Family Crocodylidae Crocodylus niloticus – Appendix 1 Snakes: Family Boidae Python sebae natalensis –

Appendix 1 Tortoises: Family Testudinidae All species – Appendix 2 Lizards: Family Chamaeleonidae Family Cordylidae Family Varanidae

All Chamaeleo & Bradypodion species – Appendix 2 All Cordylus & Pseudocordylus species – Appendix 2 All Varanus species – Appendix 2

71


4.2.6 Birds 55

The important bird areas of the province have been identified as:

Vhembe Nature Reserve

Located at the Shashe-Limpopo confluence where South Africa,

Botswana and Zimbabwe meet. The Maloutswa, a large floodplain that is

seasonally flooded, is located in the eastern part of the reserve. The

ephemeral nature of the floodplain, the vegetation and the

microhabitats provides attraction for a wide-variety of water-associated

birds of which many only appear in years of suitable rainfall.

Kruger National Park-adjacent areas

The Kruger National Park is situated on the southern portion of the

Mozambique coastal plain in the Lowveld of the Limpopo Province and

Moumalanga. Due to the underlying geology of the region, the KNP

supports a wide diversity of habitats. Granite and basaltic soils give rise to

different types of deciduous woodland and savanna. The park supports

490 bird species, which makes up approximately 55 % of the species

found in the southern African Sub-region.

Soutpansberg

The Soutpansberg is an east-west trending mountain range that is made

up of an ancient sequence of sedimentary rocks and basaltic lavas. It

holds the catchments of the following Limpopo Province rivers including:

Sand River, Mutamba River, Nzehelel River, Nwanedzi River, Mutale River,

and the Levhuvhu River. The Soutpansberg support a Cape Vulture (Gyps

coprotheres) colony, amongst other.

Blouberg Vulture Colonies

The Blouberg is an isolated inselberg that lies to the west of the

Soutpansberg range. The cliffs at Blouberg hold between 600 and 800

72


pairs of Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres), making it the world’s second

largest colony.

Wolkberg Forest Belt

The forest belt consists of an arc of hills and a series of forests surrounding

the western rim of Tzaneen. Although the region is dominated by a matrix

of Eucalyptus and Pinus plantations, large patches of Afromontane forest

and small patches of grassland are scattered throughout the valleys and

moist basins of Tzaneen Mountains. The Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus

alciinus), which breeds in plantations and forest, reserves as well as the

Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) and Crowned Eagle

(Stephanoaetus coronauts), amongst others occur in the IBA (Important

Birds Area).

Pietersburg Nature Reserve

The Pietersburg Nature reserve is located 3 km south of Polokwane. The

reserve holds 250 bird species and it is the only reserve in South Africa that

holds the isolated Pietersburg Plateau population of the Shotclawed Lark

(Cethilanda chuana) this disjunctive population is distinct from the

western population centred on southeastern Botswana.

Waterberg System

The system consists of the Waterberg range and its cliffs. The Kransberg, a

massif within the western sector of the Waterberg, has been included into

the Marakele National Park. The Kransberg holds the largest Cape

Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) colony in the world. It also holds breeding

Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) and other large raptors.

Nyl River Floodplain

The Nyl River is 70 km long and forms a 16 000 ha floodplain, which is one

of the largest in South Africa. The area holds 426 bird species, which

makes up approximately 46% of the bird species of southern Africa. It

73


attracts large numbers of locally threatened and rare water birds. It has

become a critical area for Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), which is

disappearing rapidly in southern Africa and Nylsvley holds the largest,

most stable breeding populations in South Africa.

Northern Turf Thornveld

This area consists of privately owned farms characterised by flat plains

holding black vertic clays derived from basalt. These farms form a

triangle delineated by the Crocodile River in the east, The Bierspruit River

in the west, and the confluence of these two rivers southwest of

Thabazimbi. This area holds the remaining resident South African

Yellowthroated Sandgrouse (Pterocles gutturalis) population. It is possible

that the Shortclawed Lark (Certhilanda chunana) occurs in this area from

time to time.

Blyde River Canyon

Within these Important Bird Areas (IBA) the following bird species have

been identified as being of critical conservation value.

Birds identified as being Globally Threatened include; Cape Vulture,

Corncrake, Lesser Kestrel, Blue Crane and Slaty Egret.

Birds identified as being nationally threatened include: Saddlebilled Stork;

Lappetfaced, Whiteheaded and Whitebacked Vultures; Tawny and

Martial Eagles; Bateleur; Kori Bustard, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Ground Hornbill,

Red and Yellow billed Oxpeckers; amongst others.

4.2.7 Mammals 5 and 74

Most of the larger mammal species are well represented and conserved in

the protected areas. Comparingly, the province has large open tracts of

natural habitat, which supports these species. Specialist niche habitat

mammal species are more prone to development threats and pressures, such

as the golden mole species.

74


The total number of terrestrial mammals species in South Africa is 243. The

total mammal number found in the Limpopo Province is 168 species, which is

a 68% representation of the total mammal number in the country. Of this

number Gunning’s Golden Mole, Amblysomus gunningi is endemic to the

Province. In terms of the IUCN Red Data Categories the following mammals

have been identified as either being critically endangered, endangered, rare

or vulnerable.

Table 29: Red data mammals 5

Category Common Name Scientific Name Critically Endangered

Black rhinoceros Juliana’s golden mole

Diceros bicornis Amblysomus julianae

Endangered

African elephant African wild dog

Loxodonta africana Lycaon pictus

Vulnerable Gunning’s golden mole Spotted-necked otter Cheetah African wild cat Lion

Amblysomus gunningi Lutra maculicollis Acinonyx jubatis Felis lybica Panthera leo

Near Threatened

White rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum

With regards to the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species

(CITES) the following mammal species have been listed in Appendix 1 and 2.

Table 30: Mammals listed in Appendix 1 & 2 of CITES 5

CITES Appendix

Common Name Scientific Name

Appendix 1 Small spotted cat Leopard Cheetah Black rhinoceros

Felis nigripes Panthera pardus Acinonyx jubatus Diceros bicornis

Appendix 2 African elephant Chacma baboon Vervet monkey Samango monkey Thick-tailed bushbaby Lesser bushbaby Spotted-necked otter Cape clawless otter Caracal Serval African wild cat Lion Hippopothamus White rhinoceros Pangolin

Loxodonta Africana Papio ursinus Cercopithecus aethiops Cercopithecus mitis Otolemur crassicaudatus Galago moholi Lutra maculicollis Aonyx capensis Felis caracal Felis serval Felis lybica Panthera leo Hippopothamus amphibious Ceratotherium simum Manis temminckii

75


4.3 Protected Areas 51 and 54

Protected areas are depicted on Map 11: Protected Areas.

4.3.1 National Parks

Three schedule 1 National Parks fall within the boundaries of Limpopo, the

northern section of the Kruger National Park, Vembe-Dongola and Marakele

National Parks accounts for 5,06 % of the total area of the province.

4.3.2 Provincial Reserves

There are currently 52 provincially protected areas in the Limpopo Province

totalling 335 601 ha.

4.3.3 Biosphere Reserves

There are two established biosphere reserves in the province: the Kruger to

Canyons Biosphere Reserve and the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve.

4.3.4 Natural Heritage Sites

Significant private conservation initiatives such as Western Soutpansberg

Conservancy, Limpopo Valley Conservancy, and Makapans Valley

Conservancy are also under way.

In addition there are 28 registered natural heritage sites in Limpopo as well as

numerous private conservation areas, which contribute significantly to

environmental conservation in the province.

76


77


Chapter 5: Social, cultural environment

5.1 Population 20

Limpopo has a culturally mixed population of about 5, 27 million people, which is 12%

of the South African population. Of the population 52,6% is younger than 20 years of

age. The province is predominantly rural. The density of the population in Limpopo is

shown on Map 12: Population Density.

In terms of population trends the commuting of the labour force is taking place at a

large scale. The commuter patterns are generally from the rural villages to

established towns and commercial farming areas. The southern and Lowveld districts

show a pattern of commuting south and into the neighbouring provinces. The growth

in migration between 1980 and 1990, is estimated at 4,8% a year. This trend is likely to

continue until the province manages to increase the number and nature of local job

creation. In the years immediately before and after the 1994 first free election,

following the change of the constitution, the majority of the population was no

longer constitutionally confined to certain areas and this resulted in much larger

number of people moving to the fringes of the cities and towns like Polokwane

(Pietersburg) and Greater Nylstroom where they found new residence in villages

close by or in informal (squatter) settlements. Other percentage of migrating

population still migrates to other provinces. Most of the out-migrants moved to

Gauteng (43%), Mpumalanga (27%) and North West Province (14%).

Another important form of migration of population in the province represents

immigration of people from neighbouring countries and southern African countries.

Though many people move gradually to the Gauteng province many still stay in

Limpopo. Usual places of entry are Northern and Eastern Districts. The estimated

number of illegal immigrants in 1995 was between 400 000 and 650 000.

78


79


5.2 Education 20

74% of the people between the ages of 5 and 24 years old attend school. 22% do

not attend any form of educational institution, and only 1% attends tertiary

education institutions.

Table 31: Levels of education of adults in Limpopo Higher Education 7 % Some Secondary Schooling 27 % No Schooling 33 % Grade 12/ Std10 14% Some Primary Schooling 14 % Complete Primary Schooling 5 %

5.3 Health and welfare 20 and 89

A hierarchy of 50 public hospitals, 17 health centres, 432 clinics and 43 visiting points

or mobile clinics serves Limpopo. These are distributed across the province. The

hospitals include 8 regional and central hospitals, 39 district hospitals and 3

psychiatric hospitals. There are approximately 1,84 hospital beds per 1000 people in

the province. These figures exclude private hospitals found in a number of the large

centres in Limpopo.

Table 32: Healthcare Facilities in Limpopo Districts Limpopo Facilities

Cap

rico

rn

Vh

emb

e

Wat

erb

erg

Mo

pan

e

Bo

hla

bel

o

Sek

hu

khu

ne

Total

Hospitals 14 8 8 8 4 8 50Health Centres 1 7 1 6 2 0 17Clinics 84 114 52 80 42 60 432Visiting Points or Mobile Clinics

2 8 2 31 0 0 43

Total 101 137 63 125 48 68 542Hospital Beds / 1000 population 1,84

80


Capricorn has the most hospitals (14), with only 4 in Bohlabelo. Vhembe has 7 of the

17 health centres in the province, whilst some other districts have none or very few.

This figure should be read with the number of hospitals per district, as an absence or

lack of access to hospitals results in the need to access a medical centre. A network

of permanent and mobile clinics and medical visiting points supports these facilities.

The highest number of clinics is 114 in Vhembe and the lowest is 42 in Bohlabelo. The

highest number of medical visiting points or mobile clinics is 31 in Mopane. The quality

of access to basic healthcare services remains a problem, especially in some of the

rural areas of the province.

There was approximately one medical doctor per 8544 people in Limpopo in

February 2003. On average every medical specialist, professional nurse and dentist in

the province serves a population of 92129, 1001 and 141736 respectively 66 .

Table 33: Limpopo provincial population served per public sector health worker (Feb 2003) 66

Doc

tor

Med

ical

S

peci

alis

t

Pro

f N

urse

Den

tist

Pha

rmac

ist

Phy

siot

hera

pist

Occ

upat

iona

l T

hera

pist

Spe

ech

ther

apis

t

Die

ticia

n

Rad

iog

raph

er

8544

92129

1001

141736

48067

106302

76774

197418

110554

60084

The provincial public health sector is served by a total of 23497 medical staff,

comprising 447 doctors, 24 specialists, 5247 professional nurses and other medical

staff 66.

Table 34: Limpopo provincial health personnel 66

Doc

tors

ge

ner

alis

ts

Doc

tors

sp

ecia

lists

Oth

er

med

ical

pr

ofes

sion

al

Pro

fess

iona

l nu

rses

Oth

er n

urs

es

Oth

er s

taff

Tot

al

447

24

492

5247

6036

11251

23497

In 1998 the provincial Department of Health and Welfare took some decisions

regarding the provision of healthcare facilities in the province, including that:

81


Hospitals would have a maximum of 400 beds;

Health centres would have a maximum of 20 beds;

3,6 beds would be provided per 1000 people;

A clinic will be provided within 5km of each village within 10 years; and

A moratorium was placed on the provision of new private healthcare

facilities 35 .

The focus of primary health care in the province is on a preventative rather than a

curative approach. The major health problems in Limpopo are tuberculosis (TB),

human immunodeficiency virus / acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS),

sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, bilharzias

and malaria. Other health problems include chronic diseases, teenage pregnancy,

unwanted pregnancies, malnutrition, and injuries due to accidents, substance

abuse, skin conditions, genetic conditions and disability.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is of special concern in South Africa and Limpopo.

According to the 7th National HIV Survey (1996) the prevalence of HIV infection

among adults in the province was 7,96%, which was significantly lower than the

national average of 14, 17% at the time, but following the same exponential trend.

According to Northern Province Health Department Epidemiological Comments

(April, 1997), the estimated infected % per district was:

Table 35: HIV prevalence among adults in 1996 46 Region Estimated HIV%

(1996) Bushveld 4,21 Western 5,96 Lowveld 5.98 Northern 6.8 Central 8,3 Southern 13,4 Total 7,96

Updated HIV prevalence figures for 2002 supplied by the Manager of Epidemiology

Services in the Department of Health and Welfare indicates an estimate of

approximately double the above total figure for the province.

82


Table 36: HIV prevalence among adults in 2002 46 Region Estimated HIV%

(2002) Bohlabelo 12,7 Capricorn 13,9 Mopane 23,0 Sekhukhune 15,0 Vhembe 11,2 Waterberg 19,9 Total 15,6

Inadequate care for HIV/AIDS victims remains a problem in the province that has to

be addressed. The implication of these figures is that unless general medication is

developed to treat victims and/or risk behaviour changes, the Limpopo province is

likely to experience population declines.

Malaria is also a big concern in Limpopo, more specifically in the Bohlabelo, Mopane

and Vhembe districts where the majority of cases are reported. The table below

provides the number of cases per district to date in 2003. Note that the cases from

all other districts were collectively reported in the “others” row.

Table 37: Malaria Cases per District for 2003 89

District Jan '03 Feb '03 Mrt '03 Apr '03 May '03 Jun '03 Jul '03 Aug '03 Sept '03 Oct ' 03 Bohlabelo 28 21 10 5 34 8 4 0 24 345 Mopane 419 162 61 133 94 17 14 14 52 448 Vhembe 1192 402 198 301 237 44 24 13 187 625

Others 46 22 6 26 7 1 2 2 15 27

The total number of malaria cases in Limpopo from 1996 to 2002 is provided in the

table below. From this table it can be seen that the number of cases peaked in 1999

and 2000, and has since declined. The highest annual figure is 11054 reported in

1999, followed by the 9762 reported in 2000. The highest monthly figure of 2209 was

reported in November 2000.

83


Table 38: Prevalence of Malaria in Limpopo Province

89

Number of cases per month Year

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total 1996 628 305 1497 469 213 76 33 20 99 881 720 270 52111997 1830 592 658 460 300 79 61 34 130 186 118 201 46491998 409 868 540 409 178 37 22 57 241 305 446 1061 45731999 1011 1570 1257 1482 1130 242 77 203 750 717 1529 1086 110542000 804 520 1179 1083 385 147 96 120 206 1768 2209 1245 97622001 1119 866 511 617 1009 167 59 36 546 707 960 610 72072002 863 693 747 552 279 83 40 44 493 290 232 429 4745

Additional statistics for 2002 on TB, typhoid and syphilis incidences in the province

released by the provincial Department of Health and Welfare includes the following:

Table 39: Incidences of TB, Typhoid and Syphilis in 2002 89

Year TB Incidences per

100000

Typhoid Incidences per 100000

Syphilis (Antenatal) %

2002 100,6 1,9 1,9%

The prevalence of diarrhoeal incidences and lower respiratory tract infections per

1000 of the population under 5 years are used as health indicators by the

Department of Health and Welfare.

Table 40: Health indicators for the population under 5 Year 89

Ind

icat

or

Bo

hla

bel

o

Cap

rico

rn

Mo

pan

e

Sek

hu

khu

ne

Vh

emb

e

Wat

erb

erg

To

tal

Diarrhoeal incidence under 5 years / 1000

15,2 11,9 19,5 7,4 12 9 12,5

Lower respiratory infections incidence under 5 years / 1000

43.4 8,6 50,2 9,5 6,1 4,3 19

84


Additional indicators of primary health care performance in the province, include

primary health care visits, antenatal coverage rate having at least one visit,

antenatal visits per antenatal attendee, percentage of children fully immunized at 1

year and the TB cure rate.

Table 41: Limpopo Primary health care (PHC) performance 66 PHC Visits 2001/02 (headcounts per capita)

Antenatal coverage rate (% having at least one visit) 2002

Antenatal visits per antenatal attender 2002

% of children fully immunized at 1 year (average of past 2 years)

TB cure rate 2000

2,2 82,0% 3,9 67,0% 62,0%

5.4 Heritage resources 79, 81 and 82

The heritage of Limpopo is diverse and can be categorised into historical sites,

archaeological sites, cultural significance sites, and natural heritage sites of

significance.

The topographical and regional diversity between the four regions of Limpopo, as

well as the remnants of the past social and economic history is similarly reflected in

the vast wealth of cultural heritage in the province. Superb examples of Iron Age

history, Pre- and postcolonial history (including the Boer Wars) as well as current

cultural heritage occur throughout the province. Some of the most significant and

most well know heritage sites of the province include:

The Mapungubwe World Heritage Site;

Thulamela Iron Age Site, in the northern Kruger National Park;

The Makapans Caves near Mokopane;

Modjadji the Garden of the Rain Queen which contains the Modjadji Cycad

Encephalartos transvernosus, the largest single concentration of single species of

cycads in the world;

The sacred Lake Funduduzi;

Giant Baobab Tree, largest specimen in the world; and

San paintings of the Wolkberg, Waterberg and Soutpansberg.

A list of provincial heritage resources is attached as Appendix H. A descriptive

inventory of provincial heritage sites is attached as Appendix I.

85


The significant heritage of the Province has been reasonably well documented. Iron

Age sites and artefacts are however continuously under threat from new

development activities, such as mining activities, dams, agricultural and large-scale

land use changes. Most of the rocky ridges and outcrops in the province are

potential Iron Age sites due to the extensive settlement history in the province.

Compensating for this factor it has become a requirement for the approval of any

listed development activity that a heritage assessment be conducted before

authorisation.

Lack of funding for protection and maintenance of sites significantly hampers

conservation and restoration initiatives.

Numerous old buildings of historical value have not as yet been afforded National

Monuments status.

Most of the well-know heritage resources are well conserved and marketed.

However, many of the lesser know heritage resources are poorly managed and

conserved.

86


Chapter 6: Land use, built environment and infrastructure

6.1 General land use

The policies of the previous regime determined the settlement and urbanisation

processes and patterns in Limpopo. While the larger, previously predominantly white

towns generally developed in response to economic factors, the spatial pattern of

almost all the other settlements was largely determined by political forces and

interventions. These patterns are more obvious in Limpopo than the rest of the

country as a result of the complex combination of homelands that existed in the

province under the previous political dispensation 23.

The broad land cover (current state of the surface cover of the land) provides a

good indication of the intensity of landuses in Limpopo. The brad land cover for the

province is indicated on Map 13: Land Cover.

Limpopo is divided into 6 districts and 26 local municipalities. Polokwane is the

capital of the province, and the centre of government and commerce in the

province. It serves as the regional service hub for a wide area, which includes parts

of Zimbabwe and Botswana. Phalaborwa, Thabazimbi. Burgersfort and Lephalale are

centres closely associated with mining activities, while subtropical fruit, tea and

coffee plantations encircle Tzaneen. The towns of BelaBela, Modimolle, Mokgopong,

Groblersdal and Marble Hall are associated with mixed dry land agriculture.

Mokopane is cattle country while Vaalwater is fast becoming a major service centre

for a growing eco-tourism industry in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve. Thohoyandou

and Giyani are important centres that service vast areas of rural settlements in the

north of Limpopo.

6.2 Rural settlements

There are about 2 453 settlements with approximately 1 180 000 households in

Limpopo. The majority of these settlements are in the former homeland areas of

Gazankulu, Venda and Lebowa. Most of these are not natural settlements (from an

economic and demographic point of view) and very few have developed a

sustainable local economic base. Households survive mainly on grants, contributions

from breadwinners who migrate to urban centres and on income generated from

87


commuting to farms or towns. Most of the household purchasing, consequently,

takes place in the towns and migrant destinations outside the rural communities 23 .

6.3 Housing

Most of the households (69%) in the province live in formal houses or brick structures

while a significant portion (20%) lives in traditional houses. A relatively small number of

households live in informal dwellings (6, 6%). The rest of the households live in other

forms of housing.

Table 42: Dwelling Types in Limpopo 20 District Municipalities

Service Level Cap

rico

rn

Vh

emb

e Wat

erbe

rg

Mo

pan

e Boh

labe

lo

Sek

hu

khu

ne

Total households 270237 264891 148548 218799 129104 195277 House or brick structure on a separate stand or yard 77.80% 59.27% 69.83% 61.05% 79.23% 73.40% Traditional dwelling/hut/structure made of traditional materials 7.54% 34.13% 7.44% 31.18% 13.93% 16.45% Flat in block of flats 0.75% 0.59% 0.79% 0.78% 1.27% 0.71% Town/cluster/semi-detached house (simplex: duplex: triplex) 0.81% 0.72% 0.63% 0.52% 0.51% 0.48% House/flat/room in back yard 2.38% 1.58% 3.03% 1.33% 1.21% 1.94% Informal dwelling/shack in back yard 2.11% 1.08% 4.41% 0.89% 1.20% 2.00% Informal dwelling/shack NOT in back yard e.g. in an informal/squatter settlement 7.31% 1.52% 12.55% 3.37% 1.68% 3.89% Room/flatlet not in back yard but on a shared property 1.07% 0.90% 0.92% 0.68% 0.77% 0.84% Caravan or tent 0.21% 0.12% 0.38% 0.19% 0.18% 0.26%

Other 0.02% 0.08% 0.02% 0.02% 0.03% 0.02%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

88


89


The highest percentage of households living in brick structures on separate stands are found

in Bohlabelo District (79%), with the lowest percentage in Vhembe (59%). The highest

percentage of households living in traditional dwellings or huts made of traditional materials

is found in Vhembe (34%). The highest percentage of informal dwellings, or shacks in informal

or squatter settlements is in Waterberg District (13%).

Regional land use planning to facilitate better service provision is indicated on Map

14: Spatial Rationale.

6.4 Water supply

Piped water in dwellings is available in 11% of households and in the yards of 34% of

households in Limpopo. Community standpipes within 200 m of dwellings serve 18,5%

of households while standpipes, which are further than 200 m away from dwellings,

serve 28% of households. The rest of the households obtain water from other sources

such as boreholes, springs, rivers and dams.

Table 43: Access to Water Sources in Limpopo 20 District Municipalities

Service Level

Cap

rico

rn

Vh

emb

e

Wat

erb

erg

Mo

pan

e

Bo

hla

bel

o

Sek

hu

khu

ne

Total households 270233 264892 148549 218792 129103 195287

Piped water in dwelling 12.03% 7.52% 17.21% 11.00% 5.25% 2.92%

Piped water inside yard 31.46% 32.47% 34.36% 28.56% 28.22% 17.45% Piped water on community stand: distance < 200m 14.17% 18.44% 14.13% 17.55% 14.93% 14.71% Piped water on community stand: distance > 200m 18.40% 27.93% 19.44% 27.05% 27.41% 21.97%

Borehole 9.30% 2.58% 5.75% 1.82% 6.01% 7.06%

Spring 0.67% 2.86% 0.20% 3.46% 3.83% 2.33%

Rain-water tank 0.31% 0.13% 0.28% 0.14% 0.28% 0.50% Dam/pool/stagnant water 1.70% 0.71% 0.72% 1.49% 2.52% 5.15%

River/stream 3.05% 2.69% 1.32% 4.97% 6.00% 22.37%

Water vendor 4.52% 0.29% 3.80% 0.34% 0.35% 1.19%

Other 4.38% 4.37% 2.80% 3.62% 5.18% 4.35%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

90


91


The highest percentage of households with access to piped water inside their

dwelling is 17% in Waterberg District, and the lowest is 3% in Sekhukhune District. The

highest percentage of households with access to piped water inside their yard is 34%

also in Waterberg, with the second highest being 17% in Sekhukhune. The districts

with a relative high percentage dependency on groundwater resources are

Capricorn (9%) and Sekhukhune (7%). The highest percentage dependency on

surface water sources is in Sekhukhune with 5% dependent on dams, pools or

stagnant water, and 22% dependent on rivers or streams.

6.5 Sanitation

The provincial sanitation infrastructure comprises mainly of reticulation systems and

treatment works normally situated in towns. A wide range of treatment alternatives is

being used, varying from activated sludge methods to oxidation ponds.

The majority of households (59%) use pit latrines for sanitation. Flush toilets are

available in 16% of households most of which are connected to municipal sewage

systems. A large number of households (23%) do not have access to toilet facilities.

The rest use either bucket latrines or chemical toilets.

Table 44: Sanitation Infrastructure Provision in Limpopo 20

District Municipalities Service Level Capricorn Vhembe Waterberg Mopane Bohlabelo Sekhukhune

Total households 270236 264891 148546 218795 129101 195283 Flush toilet (connected to sewerage system) 18.17% 10.72% 31.36% 15.17% 7.14% 4.66% Flush toilet (with septic tank) 1.58% 1.66% 3.58% 1.40% 1.25% 0.82% Chemical toilet 0.99% 0.95% 1.19% 1.55% 1.49% 2.05% Pit latrine with ventilation (VIP) 10.09% 6.98% 5.73% 6.81% 10.11% 9.66% Pit latrine without ventilation 51.15% 53.32% 43.48% 38.45% 54.88% 65.20% Bucket latrine 0.63% 0.58% 1.03% 0.38% 0.49% 0.67%

None 17.38% 25.80% 13.63% 36.23% 24.62% 16.93%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

The highest percentage of households with access to flush toilets connected to

sewerage systems is 31% in Waterberg, and the lowest is 5% in Sekhukhune.

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Approximately 10% of households in Capricorn, Bohlabelo and Sekhukhune are using

ventilated pit latrines, whilst the vast majority of households in Limpopo are limited to

pit latrines with no ventilation (as many as 65% in Sekhukhune and 55% in Bohlabelo).

Up to 36% of households in Mopane have no access to any sanitation system.

6.6 Energy infrastructure

Limpopo province has a backlog in electrification. The province is supplied by Eskom

who sells electricity to councils, or sells it to end users directly in areas serviced by

Eskom. From the table below detailing energy use preferences for cooking, heating

and lighting per district, it can be concluded that a minimum of approximately 64%

of the households in the province has electricity connections, as they indicated that

electricity is used for lighting. The actual figure of reticulated households will be

slightly higher as some reticulated households refrain from using electricity due to

economic, social or cultural reasons. Note that there is a discrepancy in the sum of

the household numbers for the districts and that of the province as a whole quoted

in the Stats SA data. Only the percentages have been included in the table.

Table 45: Household energy use in Limpopo 20 District

Use Electricity Gas Paraffin Wood Coal Dung Solar Candle Other

Cooking 31.66% 2.47% 18.90% 44.86% 0.64% 0.80% 0.28% 0.00% 0.39%

Heating 32.68% 1.05% 13.71% 47.67% 1.76% 0.66% 0.14% 0.00% 2.34%Capricorn

Lighting 58.60% 0.16% 7.01% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% 33.64% 0.38%

Cooking 19.73% 1.45% 5.19% 72.71% 0.23% 0.17% 0.21% 0.00% 0.30%

Heating 21.76% 0.44% 3.68% 71.78% 0.25% 0.11% 0.10% 0.00% 1.87%Vhembe

Lighting 61.25% 0.20% 14.51% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.54% 22.95% 0.56%

Cooking 35.66% 2.41% 20.26% 40.36% 0.46% 0.31% 0.27% 0.00% 0.27%

Heating 37.62% 0.98% 10.87% 45.64% 0.91% 0.19% 0.32% 0.00% 3.47%Waterberg

Lighting 64.87% 0.14% 2.16% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.23% 32.14% 0.45%

Cooking 23.15% 0.84% 4.69% 70.59% 0.15% 0.12% 0.20% 0.00% 0.26%

Heating 26.88% 0.34% 2.81% 67.21% 0.15% 0.14% 0.39% 0.00% 2.08%Mopane

Lighting 68.81% 0.22% 6.69% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.15% 23.61% 0.52%

Cooking 22.51% 1.34% 7.34% 67.81% 0.21% 0.19% 0.25% 0.00% 0.34%

Heating 28.09% 0.40% 3.48% 63.03% 0.33% 0.16% 0.41% 0.00% 4.10%Bohlabelo

Lighting 75.91% 0.14% 5.65% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.16% 17.70% 0.44%

Cooking 19.35% 1.42% 12.98% 54.40% 10.07% 1.01% 0.35% 0.00% 0.41%

Heating 20.98% 0.50% 6.29% 54.52% 13.81% 0.89% 0.42% 0.00% 2.58%Sekhukhune

Lighting 63.58% 0.22% 4.35% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% 31.11% 0.54%

Cooking 25.04% 1.66% 11.16% 59.52% 1.58% 0.45% 0.25% 0.00% 0.32%

Heating 27.37% 0.63% 6.98% 59.61% 2.27% 0.37% 0.25% 0.00% 2.52%Total

Lighting 63.79% 0.18% 7.66% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.27% 27.61% 0.49%

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The consumption of electricity in the province per sector is provided in the table

below. From the table it is evident that the mining sector consume more than half

the total consumption (57%), followed by the manufacturing (22%) and domestic

(10%) sectors 66.

Table 46: Limpopo electricity consumption per sector (‘000 MWh) 66

To

tal e

lect

rici

ty

sale

s

Do

mes

tic

Ag

ricu

ltu

re

Min

ing

Man

ufa

ctu

rin

g

Co

mm

erci

al

Tra

nsp

ort

Gen

eral

14 275 1 374 433 8 076 3 143 518 210 504 100% 9,63% 3,03% 56,57% 22,02% 3,63% 1,47% 3,53%

The percentage of non-electrified households in the province as at the end of 2001

was estimated at 37,7%. The figure is higher in rural areas (41,9%) than in urban areas

(12,5%) 66.

6.7 Transportation infrastructure

Transportation infrastructure in Limpopo comprises mainly of roads and railway lines.

Based on a study done for the then Northern Province Roads Authority in 2000, roads

measured a total of approximately 22920 km, 16430 km of which were gravel roads

and 6490 km black top roads. The split of approximate road lengths per district (note

previous district classification used at the time) is provided in the table below:

Table 47: Roads in Limpopo District

(Old districts) Length of

Gravel Road (km)

Length of Black Top Road

(km)

Total (km)

Bushveld 3660 1530 5190 Central 2640 740 3380 Lowveld 2890 1370 4260 Northern 2960 1300 4260 Southern 2010 570 2580 Western 2270 980 3250

Total 16430 6490 22920

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The Bushveld District had the highest total road length of approximately 5190 km,

while the Southern District had the lowest total road length of approximately 2580

km.

The distribution of railway lines in Limpopo is limited. The main north-south line links

Gauteng with Zimbabwe via Polokwane, Makado and Mussina. A second line

branches from this line near Mooketsi from where it links up with Kaapmuiden in

Mpumalanga on the N4 corridor to Mozambique. A short section of rail terminating

at Phalaborwa branches from this line. A third line terminating at Ellisras via

Thabazimbi branches from the main east-west line in North West Province close to

Pilanesberg.

Most of the major towns have commercial airfields, the largest of which is the

Gateway airport in Polokwane. Private landing strips are found throughout the

province.

Transportation infrastructure is depicted on Map 15: Transportation Infrastructure.

6.8 Telecommunication infrastructure

Telkom is currently extending its rural telecommunication network. The enormous

growth of the cellular market and subsequent network expansions countrywide is

also reflected in Limpopo with all major roads and large towns covered.

Table 49: Telecommunication Infrastructure Provision in Limpopo 20 District Municipalities

Service Level Capricorn Vhembe Waterberg Mopane Bohlabelo Sekhukhune


Telephone in dwelling and cell-phone 5.95% 3.86% 7.56% 4.27% 3.40% 2.61%

Telephone in dwelling only 4.13% 2.58% 5.06% 1.98% 2.63% 3.28%

Cell-phone only 20.91% 21.00% 19.05% 21.62% 21.48% 17.16%

At a neighbour nearby 3.63% 2.71% 6.70% 3.83% 6.36% 3.61% At a public telephone nearby 53.14% 53.86% 44.96% 53.33% 50.77% 50.16%

At another location nearby 4.19% 5.27% 5.00% 5.30% 4.74% 5.94% At another location; not nearby 2.95% 5.60% 4.68% 4.31% 4.03% 8.66%

No access to a telephone 5.10% 5.13% 7.00% 5.36% 6.59% 8.59%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

95


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The highest percentage of households with telephones in their dwellings, as well as

access to cellular phones, is 8% in Waterberg. The highest percentage of households

with telephones in their dwellings is 5% in Waterberg, and the lowest is 2% in Mopane.

Cell phones are used by a significant percentage of households, with approximately

21% of households in Capricorn, Vhembe, Mopane and Bohlabelo having access to

these networks. The majority of households in Limpopo are limited to the use of public

telephones near their dwellings (up to 53% of households in Capricorn, Vhembe, and

Mopane). The highest percentage of households with no access to a telephone is 9%

in Sekhukhune.

6.9 Waste management

The highest percentage of households with access to regular refuse removal by a

local authority is 19% in Capricorn, and the lowest is 5% in Sekhukhune. The vast

majority of households in the province dispose of their rubbish at their own refuse

dumps (up to 76% of households in Bohlabelo and 75% in Sekhukhune). The highest

percentage of households with no access to any form of refuse removal or disposal is

the 22% in Mopane.

Table 50: Access to Refuse Removal in Limpopo 20 District Municipalities

Service Level Capricorn Vhembe Waterberg Mopane Bohlabelo Sekhukhune


Removed by local authority at least once a week 19.06% 10.29% 28.88% 14.78% 6.00% 5.29% Removed by local authority less often 0.84% 0.70% 1.11% 0.59% 0.51% 0.57%

Communal refuse dump 1.39% 0.87% 1.21% 1.03% 0.78% 0.92%

Own refuse dump 68.21% 69.86% 59.77% 61.72% 75.89% 74.95%

No rubbish disposal 10.49% 18.28% 9.02% 21.87% 16.82% 18.26%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

From summary tables in Appendix 7 of the 1997 baseline information preceding the

National Waste Management Strategy that was done for DWAF and DEAT (ref: 045)

the following observations can be made: There were 34 operating landfills in

Limpopo, all of which were general waste landfills. The majority of general waste

disposal sites (74%) were small landfills. However, 47% of the remaining general waste

airspace was associated with the larger landfills. Of the then remaining general

97


waste airspace of approximately 2 million m3, only 18% was acceptable in terms of

the Minimum Requirements for Disposal of Waste by Landfill, published by DWAF. The

balance of landfills did not comply with the requirements for landfill permitting.

Very limited current accurate information is available on the volumes of waste

produced in the province, for both hazardous and general waste, especially since

such a significant percentage of the population uses their own dumpsites. It was

estimated that in 1997, approximately 153000t of general waste was disposed of per

annum at general waste landfill sites, resulting in an estimated lifespan of 2,5 years for

the province as a whole, with an additional 16,5 years’ of capacity planned in future

landfills 45.

No hazardous waste site exists in the Limpopo Province. Hazardous waste, such as

sharps and human waste produced by hospitals in the province is mostly incinerated,

although some dispose of it either on their grounds or at a local municipal disposal

site. (ref : 015) The indiscriminate disposal of any kind of hazardous waste, or disposal

at an unsuitable facility is of concern and should be addressed through a proper

medical waste management system. Very limited information on the fate of

hazardous waste produced in other market sectors is known. The closest hazardous

waste landfill site in South Africa is at Holfontein in Gauteng. It could be expected

that some hazardous waste is transported to this facility, while others will be dumped

illegally or disposed of with general waste.

It is recommended that a complete and current inventory of landfills (both in use

and closed or rehabilitated) be drawn up and records kept of capacity and

projected lifespan based on current disposal rate, to enable reporting on this critical

issue in future.

Waste reduction measures such as recycling of paper, plastic, metallic and glass

waste is practiced in the large centres in Limpopo. This is mostly done by a number of

private operators with supply or collection networks and no formal records are

available for release to the province. It is recommended that a complete inventory

of all operators in the recycling business be registered with the province and that

records of the type and volume of waste recycled, methods of collection and detail

of re-use be obtained from them on a regular basis to enable detailed reporting in

this regard in future.

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Provincial expenditure on waste management could in future be used as an

indicator of investment in this sector.

6.10 Land uses with air pollution potential

A list of land uses with air pollution potential is currently being compiled by the

Department of Envrionmental Affairs and Tourism and should be included in phase 2

of the SoER.

Information was requested from various measurement points in the province.

Nobody, however, was prepared to provide the requested information even after

formal requests from DFED were made.

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Chapter 7: Economic environment

7.1 Introduction

The economy of Limpopo is characterised by a small and concentrated production

base and a large consumer population with limited means in terms of income. It has

a high potential for economic development and is attractive to various kinds of

investment.

7.2 Key economic sectors

The agricultural (employment) and mining (income generation) sectors form the

backbone of the Limpopo economy. Nature-related tourism in the province is also a

growth sector. The manufacturing sector in Limpopo is relatively small, with significant

potential for further expansion. The service sector, especially with respect to

government activities, is large and contributes significantly to the economy of the

province.

Table 51: Employment per economic sector 20

Economic Sector Employment Agriculture; hunting, forestry; fishing 118 261 Mining and quarrying 27 885 Manufacturing 43 395 Electricity; gas; water supply 7 389 Construction 37 429 Wholesale and retail trade 92 223 Transport; storage; communication 22 874 Financial; insurance; real estate, business service 33 574 Community; social and personal services 160 784 Private households 72 929 Undetermined 47 107 Total number of people employed 663 850

Over the past few years mining (24,2%) has overtaken the government (18,1 %)

sector as the biggest contributing sector to the Limpopo economy.

Although the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the economy of the province

is low at less than 3% it is the second biggest employment sector providing almost 120

000 of the approximately 664 000 jobs in the province. Because agriculture is also

place-bound it is the backbone of the rural economy and of stability in the province.

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There are 234 mines of different types and sizes in Limpopo. These range from small

subsistence mines to large-scale open cast and underground mines. Most of the

large-scale mining operations are located in the eastern and western parts of the

province, with a few in the northern part.

There are approximately 250 industries in the province of which 24% have scheduled

(polluting) processes that are controlled in terms of the Atmospheric Pollution

Prevention Act, 1965. Air pollution measurements taken at Polokwane, Phalaborwa

and Lephalale indicate that the province does not have an air quality problem at

this stage.

Tourism is widely regarded as one of the key economic growth sectors in Limpopo.

Measured in bed nights from foreign visitors, the province only attracted 3%, the

second lowest of the provinces, of the South African total for the first two quarters of

2003 91.

The hotel occupancy rate is the second lowest of the provinces at 49.73% compared

to the lowest of 43.77% (Free State) and the highest of 69.93% (Western Cape). The

average hotel room price is also the third lowest of the provinces at R292/night

compared to the lowest (Northern Cape) of R241/night and the highest (North West)

of R799/night 91.

No reliable statistics could be found for local tourism i.e. visitors from other provinces.

It is estimated that this figure could be at least as much as foreign visitors.

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Table 52: Limpopo Province – bed nights per country of origin 91 Country Bed nights 1st

quarter 2003 Bed nights 2nd quarter 2003

Africa and Middle East: Angola 47 0 Botswana 41 563 8 974 Kenya 1 947 934 Lesotho 53 862 0 Malawi 4 353 1 811 Mozambique 11 734 1 137 Namibia 942 11 111 Nigeria 0 0 Swaziland 0 1 067 Tanzania 602 0 Zambia 1 975 1 335 Zimbabwe 157 670 218 662 Other Africa and Middle East

2 184 444

Americas: Brazil 635 0 Canada 884 84 USA 17 843 13 601 Other Americas 1 307 1 101 Asia & Australasian: Australia 6 416 159 China (with Hong Kong)

0 236

India 182 0 Japan 160 0 Other from the above region

3 123 521

Europe: France 1 971 4 796 Germany 26 360 8 555 Italy 0 411 Netherlands 58 272 3 603 Sweden 642 645 UK 38 297 18 209 Other Europe 35 072 12 029 Total 468 042 309 423 The data includes nights spent in non-paying accommodation.

Commercial forestry plantations cover 64 534 ha in the province. The projected

growth in forestry plantations is targeted at over 1% per annum 26.

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7.3 Economic growth

Of all the provinces, Limpopo has recorded the highest real annual economic

growth rate of 6,8'% during 2001. The rate for South Africa as a whole was 2,8%. The

province also recorded the highest real economic growth rate of any province over

the period 1995 to 2001. The mining, manufacturing and trade sectors are the most

significant contributors to economic growth in the province. The government sector

remains an important contributor to the provincial economy by sustaining a large

skills base, as well as through transfer payments from the national budget.

7.4 The size of the economy

Table 53: Gross domestic product for Limpopo (current prices: percentage contributions) 33

Industry 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Primary Industries

19,6 17,5 16,6 18,5 20,7 21,1 24,6

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

3,6 2,9 2,4 3,3 3,0 2,2 2,6

Mining and Quarrying

16,0 14,6 14,2 15,2 17,7 18,8 22,0

Secondary Industries

11,5 11,9 11,1 10,2 9,0 9,3 8,7

Manufacturing

5,1 5,1 4,8 4,0 3,8 4,2 4,3

Electricity and water

3,7 3,8 3,5 3,4 2,9 2,6 2,2

Construction

2,8 3,0 2,8 2,8 2,4 2,5 2,2

Tertiary Industries

59,7 61,8 63,5 62,2 61,1 60,5 57,7

Wholesale, retail trade. hotels and restaurants

13,8 14,2 13,4 11,7 11,7 12,5 12,7

Transport and communication

6,6 7,4 7,3 7,5 7,8 7,9 7,6

Finance, real estate and business services

19,7 18,1 18,0 18,1 17,9 16,6 15,8

Community. social and other personal services

5,0 5,3 5,1 5,2 4,5 5,5 5,2

General government services

14,6 16,8 19,6 19,7 19,3 18,1 16,4

All industries at basic prices 90,8 91,2 91,3 90,9 90,8 90,9 91,0 Taxes less subsidies on products

9,2 8,8 8,7 9,1 9,2 9,1 9,0

GDPR at market prices 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0

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The economic growth indicators for the province are excellent, as the province has

outperformed all the other provinces in respect of economic growth since 1995. It is,

however, important to realise that the size of the provincial economy as measured in

terms of gross domestic product (GDP) is still relatively small at approximately R63,6

billion, which is 6,5% of the national GDP of about R983 billion. The GDP per capita for

the province is about R12 060 per person per annum, compared to the national

figure of approximately R21 942 33. At the time of writing the 2001 census data in

respect to GDP was not yet available in broken down format. The 1994 data was

therefore used to compile Map 16: Gross Geographic Product. It is anticipated that

the general patterns would not have changed significantly between 1994 and 2001.

7.5 Employment

In many parts of the province, especially in the settlements created through the

separate development policies of the previous government, people are dependent

on subsistence agriculture, government grants, and on money that is sent home from

family members working as migrant workers.

Approximately 1,3 million people between the ages of 15 and 65 are economically

active in Limpopo. About 51% (663 846) of the economically active population are

employed and 49% (632 960) are unemployed. There are more than 1,6 million

people between the ages of 15 and 65 who are not economically active 20.

7.6 Economic development initiatives

Four Spatial Development Initiatives that are intended to accelerate development in

particular areas have been initiated in the province. They are:

the Phalaborwa Corridor

the Dilokong (Sekhukhune Polokwane) Corridor

the North-South Corridor (Polokwane Beitbridge)

the East West Corridor (Mokopane Lephalale).

The Department of trade and Industry also identified Polokwane as a possible

Industrial Development Zone. Pursuit of this objective would see the capital of

Limpopo become an important link in the country’s international trade.

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105


Chapter 8: Governance

8.1 Introduction

The Limpopo Province inherited the remnants of four pre-1994 administrations (each

of which had its own separate governments and laws) namely:

The Transvaal Provincial Administration;

Lebowa;

Gazankulu; and

Venda.

One of the key challenges to the Limpopo Provincial Government has been to

integrate these apartheid structures into a single cohesive whole within the

Constitutional and statutory framework of the new, post-1994 South Africa.

Meeting this challenge in the field of environmental governance is complicated by:

the fact that, in terms of Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the

environment is an area of concurrent functional competence between

national and provincial government; and

the fact that many laws affecting aspects of the environment are managed

by several different national and provincial departments such as the

Departments of Health, Water Affairs and Forestry and Minerals and Energy.

This has meant that the provincial government has been called on to manage and

reform a fragmented provincial legal framework within the broader parameters set

by national environmental legislation and policy.

8.2 Environmental law reform at national and provincial level

The national response to this state of affairs has been the introduction of the National

Environmental Management Act, 1998 (NEMA) that is an umbrella law providing for a

set of specific environmental management Acts to deal with all aspects of

environmental management at a national level including:

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Protected Areas;

Biodiversity;

Air quality and pollution;

Marine Areas;

Waste Management; and

Cooperative governance between all organs of state.

The National Environmental Law Reform Programme is ongoing and ought to be

completed in the next 12 – 24 months.

In the meantime, the Limpopo Province has taken the lead in ensuring that

environmental governance in the province escapes the fragmentation it inherited in

1994.

The Limpopo Environmental Management Bill, 2003 (LEMB) that should be adopted in

the near future replaces all the inherited provincial environmental laws and

ordinances. It is the first comprehensive environmental management legislation that

will be adopted by a province in South Africa and replaces the following inherited

legislation:

Transvaal Nature Conservation Ordinance 12 of 1983;

Lebowa Nature Conservation Act, 1973 (Act 10 of 1973);

Venda Nature Conservation Act, 1986 (Act 20 of 1986); and

Gazankulu Nature Conservation Act, 1975 (Act 5 of 1975).

LEMB, for the first time, provides a single, consolidated and comprehensive set of

rules for the governance of the environment of the Limpopo Province.

8.3 Framework for environmental governance in Limpopo Province

Section 24 of the Constitution creates a fundamental right to an environment that is

not harmful to health and well-being – and the right to have that environment

protected by reasonable legislative means.

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The National Environmental Management Act 1998 (NEMA) is the national statute

that enables this fundamental right and is the cornerstone of all South African

environmental law. The Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (the ECA) that was the

predecessor of NEMA in many respects has been repealed by NEMA but certain key

provisions of the ECA (and specifically those pertaining to environmental impact

assessment and environmental authorisation) will remain effective for the

foreseeable future.

LEMA has the same objective as NEMA at a provincial level. As such, LEMA deals

with all relevant aspects of environmental governance including:

The establishment of appropriate environmental advisory bodies;

Protected areas, sites of ecological importance, protected areas and private

nature reserves;

Resource use areas;

Wild and alien animals;

Professional hunting;

Aquatic biota and aquatic systems;

Invertebrates;

Indigenous plants;

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES);

Preservation of caves and cave formations;

Limited Development Areas;

Mountain catchment areas;

Environmental pollution including:

o Littering;

o Waste management; and

o Noise, vibration and shock.

Permits, permissions, exemptions and exclusions;

Enforcement, offences, penalties and forfeitures.

The province has also developed and published an “Environmental Implementation

Plan” (EIP) as is required by Section 11 of NEMA. The purpose of the EIP is twofold.

On the one hand the EIP helps to align legislative frameworks and related decisions

in respect of the environment. On the other hand, the EIP underscores achievement

of the provincial vision of Limpopo as a peaceful, vibrant, self-sustaining and

prosperous province by establishing the following key focus areas:

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Planning (Integrated Environmental Management);

Agriculture;

Mining;

Tourism;

Infrastructure;

Poverty eradication;

Integrated pollution and waste management; and

Water supply.

In terms of NEMA the IEP must be update every fourth year and the revised EIP for the

Limpopo Province is due to be published in 2005.

8.4 Environmental governance in the province 8.4.1 Environmental impact management

This directorate is primarily responsible for ensuring that environmental impacts

of activities in the province are properly assessed, authorised and managed.

Its functions include:

Implementation of environmental impact management legislation;

Development of integrated environmental planning frameworks;

Coordination of implementation of the Provincial Environmental

Implementation Plan;

Development of norms and standards for environmental planning; and

Rendition of project management services for EIA and EMPR processes.

8.4.2 Biodiversity management

This directorate supports proper biodiversity management in the province and

compliance with South Africa's obligations in terns of the International

Convention on Biological Diversity. It ensures ongoing monitoring of the

biodiversity of the province and provides scientific support to other

directorates.

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8.4.3 Community environment development

In South Africa, the environment is defined in human-centred terms. Unless

people from all walks of life are enabled to buy into, and meaningfully

participate in, sound environmental governance, the environment will remain

at extreme risk. This directorate is responsible for building capacity and

empowering people to participate in environmental management and all

aspects or community development within the department.

8.4.4 Waste and pollution management

Waste and pollution management has traditionally been governed in terms

of a range of laws including the Environmental Conservation Act 1989, the

Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act (APPA) of 1965, the Health Act of 1973,

and the Hazardous Substances Act of 1973. These laws are also being

rationalised and this Directorate will be enabled to deal with all aspects or

waste and pollution management.

8.4.5 Regulatory services

The main aim of this key focus area is to regulate the utilisation of wildlife

within Limpopo as well as the translocation of wildlife from and to the

province from other provinces and countries.

In order to effectively execute the functions as mandated by the applicable

environmental legislation, Regulatory Services are executed at head office

level and the six districts in the province.

At head office Regulatory Services are divided into the following three

Directorates:

Directorate CITES and Permit Management: This directorate is responsible

for the execution of the CITES Management Authority functions through the

regulation of international trade in wild and endangered species and also

the regulation of the utilisation of wildlife within the province and the

110


translocation of wildlife from and to the province from other provinces and

countries through permit issuing as per legal delegations.

Directorate Hunting Regulation: It is the main objective of this directorate to

monitor and regulate local and professional hunting. To this extend this

focus area compiles hunting seasons for the hunting of game by

landowners and non-landowners on open farms.

In order to regulate the professional hunting function, trophy hunting

schools are frequently visited to audit compliance to the applicable

legislation and to take theoretical examinations from the students attending

the schools on legal issues as well as general hunting elements. Hunting

shows are attended to monitor legal compliance and to render an advisory

service.

This directorate is currently also responsible for the monitoring and

regulating of wildlife translocation and the establishment of rehabilitation

centres.

Directorate Regulatory Enforcement: The main objective of directorate is

law enforcement. It is the function of this directorate to enforce the

applicable environmental legislation on those who contravened such

legislation.

Regulatory Services at District Level: Services are performed by

Environmental Compliance Officers at service centres strategically distributed

within each of the six districts. The main functions of these service centres are:

o to issue permits in terms of the legal delegations for the utilisation of

wildlife;

o to do law enforcement; and

o to provide an information service to the public.

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Table 54: Summary of functions

HQ & DISTRICTS

HE

AD

OF

FIC

E

WA

TE

RB

ER

G

CA

PR

ICO

RN

VH

EM

BE

MO

PA

NI

BO

HL

AB

EL

A

SE

KH

UK

UN

E

Service Centres

He

ad

Offi

ce

Th

aba

zim

bi

Lep

hala

le

Mo

dim

olle

Mo

kopa

ne

Pol

okw

ane

De

ndr

on

Th

oyo

han

dou

Ma

chad

o

Lan

gjan

Vuw

ani

Ma

lalm

ule

le

Mu

sin

a

Mu

tale

Giy

ani

Pha

labo

rwa

Tza

nee

n

Kla

seri

e

Ha

ns

Hoh

eis

en

Leb

owa

Kg

omo

Ne

bo

Pra

ktis

eer

Permit Issuing Office

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

CITES Management Office

X

CITES Scientific Authority

X

Trophy Hunting examination

X

Trophy Hunting Permits

X

Trophy Hunting Facility Certificates

X

Trophy Hunting Facility Inspections

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Damage Causing Animal Control


Game Translocation Control


Specialised Law Enforcement

X

Law Enforcement


Angling Licences

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Hunting Licences


Exemption inspections


Game Auction Permits


Environmental Management Advice


EIA

X X

X

X X X

Biodiversity Management Assistance

X X

X

X X X

Scientific Assistance

X

Ecological Assistance

X

Waste and Pollution X X X X X X X

112


Table 54: Summary of functions HQ & DISTRICTS

HE

AD

OF

FIC

E

WA

TE

RB

ER

G

CA

PR

ICO

RN

VH

EM

BE

MO

PA

NI

BO

HL

AB

EL

A

SE

KH

UK

UN

E

Service Centres

He

ad O

ffice

Th

aba

zim

bi

Lep

hala

le

Mo

dim

olle

Mo

kopa

ne

Pol

okw

ane

De

ndro

n

Th

oyo

han

dou

Ma

chad

o

Lan

gjan

Vuw

ani

Ma

lalm

ule

le

Mu

sin

a

Mu

tale

Giy

ani

Pha

labo

rwa

Tza

nee

n

Kla

seri

e

Ha

ns H

ohe

isen

Leb

owa

Kg

omo

Ne

bo

Pra

ktis

eer

Control

113


8.4.6 Legal and regulatory framework

The Limpopo environment is governed within a complex and

fragmented legal and regulatory framework. This section provides a

succinct description of that framework1.

In dealing with this framework it must be borne in mind that:

the environment is an area of concurrent competence between

national and provincial government;

national government is responsible for formulating national

environmental management policy and the legislation to give

effect thereto; and

provinces are concurrently responsible for implementing such

policies on a provincial level together national and local

government.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996)

The Constitution is the cornerstone of the South African framework for

environmental governance because Section 24 of the Constitution

entrenches environmental rights as fundamental rights as follows:

“Everyone has the right -

a) to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-

being; and

b) to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present

and future

generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures

that -

(i) prevent pollution and ecological degradation;

(ii) promote conservation; and

1 In compiling this section reference has been had to the SOE Reports compiled for other provinces including Mpumalanga and Northwest Province in an attempt to enable comparison and facilitate cooperative governance.

114


(iii) secure ecologically sustainable development and use

of natural resources while promoting justifiable

economic and social development” (RSA, 1996).

Other important provisions of the Constitution include:

Section 32: Access to information

Section 33: Just administrative action

Section 38: Enforcement of rights

Section 39: Interpretation of Bill of Rights

Section 44: National legislative authority

Section 100: National supervision of provincial administration

Section 104: Legislative authority of the provinces

Section 125: Executive authority of provinces

Section 126: Assignment of functions

Section 146: Conflicts between national and provincial legislation

Section 151: Status of municipalities

Section 152: Objects of local government

Section 153: Developmental duties of municipalities

Section 155: Establishment of Municipalities

Section 156: Powers and functions of municipalities

Schedule 4: Functional Areas of Concurrent National and

Provincial Legislative Competence

Schedule 5: Functional Areas of Exclusive Provincial Legislative

Competence

National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act 107 of 1998)

The National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (NEMA) is the

primary national law enabling the environmental rights entrenched in

Section 24 of the Constitution. As such, it provides frameworks of

principle that are binding on all levels and spheres of government.

115


NEMA also establishes principles for decision making on matters

affecting the environment to promote co-operative governance.

Environmental Implementation Plans provided for by NEMA are

intended to ensure that environmental governance and management

can be objectively monitored and assessed by all stakeholders.

National Water Act, 1998

The National Water Act, 1998, governs water use throughout the

country. In so doing it has a crucial impact on environmental

governance in all provinces.

Local Government legislation: The Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32

of 2000)

In the previous dispensation a distinction was made between

municipal areas and the rest of the country. The Constitution,

however, provides that the entire country is divided into local

government areas. In terms of the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32

of 2000) all municipalities have to produce an Integrated

Development Plan (IDP). An IDP is a compulsory, comprehensive,

strategic plan for the development of the municipality and includes an

Integrated Environmental Programme that will have to be in

resonance with provincial and national plans, policies and strategies.

Other treaties and national legislation that form part of the Limpopo

framework for environmental governance include:

International Treaties and Conventions

The Basel Convention on Trans Boundary Movement of Hazardous

Waste, 1989

Kyoto Protocol on climate change, 1997

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES);

1973

116


United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, 1994

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, 1971

Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological

Diversity, 2000

Bonn Guidelines on Access and Fair and Equitable Sharing of the

benefits arising out of their Utilisation, 2002

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, Bonn

Convention, 1979

Lusaka Agreement on Co-operative Enforcement Operations

Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora, 1994 (not ratified

in South Africa. The SADC protocol was however adopted by

South Africa).

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,

1987 (The Montreal Protocol together with the Vienna Convention

for the protection of the ozone layer, 1985 was recalled by the

Kyoto Protocol).

National Legislation

Advertising on Roads and Ribbon Development Act, (Act 21 of

1940)

Agricultural Pests Act, 1963 (Act 36 of 1983)

Agricultural Products Standards Act, 1990 Act 119 of 1990)

Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act, 1965 (Act 45 of 1965)

Aviation Act, No. 74 of 1962

Communal Property Association Act, 1996 (Act 28 of 1996)

Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act 43 of 1983)

Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act 91 of 1964)

Development Facilitation Act, 1995 (Act 67 of 1995)

Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act 73 of 1989)

Fencing Act, 1963 (Act 31 of 1963)

117


Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies

Act, 1947 (Act 36 of 1947)

Game Theft Act, 1991 (Act 105 of 1991)

Hazardous Substances Act, 1973 (Act 15 of 1973)

Health Act, 1977 (Act 63 of 1977)

Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act 58 of 1962)

International Health Regulations Act, 1974 (Act 28 of 1974)

Lake Areas Development Act, 1975 (Act 39 of 1975)

Land Survey Act, 1997 (Act 8 of 1997)

Minerals Act, 1991 (Act 50 of 1991) (which at the time of writing

was in the process of being repealed)

Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act. 29 of 1996)

Mountain Catchment Areas Act, 1970 (Act 63 of 1970)

National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 1977

(Act 103 of 1977)

National Forests Act, 1998 (Act 84 of 1998)

National Heritage Council Act, 1999 (Act 11 of 1999)

National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act 25 of 1999)

National Nuclear Energy Act, 1999 (Act 46 of 1999)

National Nuclear Regulator Act, 1999 (Act 47 of 1999)

National Parks Act, 1976 (Act 57 of 1976)

National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act 93 of 1996)

National Veld and Forest Fire Act, 1998 (Act 101 of 1998)

Nuclear Energy Act, 1993 (Act 131 of 1993)

Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act 85 of 1993)

Physical Planning Act, 1991 (Act 125 of 1991)

Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999)

South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads

Act, 1998 (Act 7 of 1998)

State Land Disposal Act, 1961 (Act 48 of 1961)

118


Water Services Act, 1997 (Act 108 of 1997)

World Heritage Convention Act, 1999 (Act 49 of 1999)

119


SECTION C: PRESSURES, KEY ISSUES AND

POTENTIAL INDICATORS

120


Chapter 9: Pressures

9.1 Introduction

Pressures are external forces that are exerted on the environment and lead to

impacts on the environment. It is important to have a broad understanding of

pressures in Limpopo to ensure that the identification of key issues and

indicators are relevant.

9.2 Pressures on physical and scenic resources

The most significant pressures on the physical and scenic resources of

Limpopo are:

The indiscriminate development in scenic and sensitive rural and natural

landscapes has a major negative impact on long-term tourism

development;

Inappropriate development decisions fail to optimise the resource

potential and undermine the eco-tourism development potential;

Land degradation exacerbated by the pressure of human activities

reduces the natural production capacity of the province with severe long-

term consequences; and

Water requirements for development (especially agriculture, mining and

the development of rural areas) are placing severe stress on the available

water supply in the province.

9.3 Pressures on the biological environment

Pressures on the biological environment include:

The general impact of human activities on natural habitats;

121


The conflict between conservation and development;

Unsustainable use of biodiversity;

Widespread poverty in Limpopo;

Inadequate strategic thinking and planning;

Ignorance regarding the importance of biodiversity; and

Certain natural events.

9.4 Pressures on health The most important pressures on health are:

Tropical and infectious diseases such as malaria and bilharzias;

HIV/AIDS and social diseases; and

Quality of access to basic health services.

9.5 Pressures on education The pressures on education are:

The low level of education in the province, which is a limiting factor in

respect of growth and development and the sustainable use of resources.

9.6 Pressures relating to population growth Pressures in respect to population growth are:

Disparity between population age groups with the majority of the

population younger than 20 years;

Urbanisation with an influx to urban centres; and

Influx of people from neighbouring states.

9.7 Pressures on heritage resources

Heritage resources are under pressure from:

New development activities, such as mining, dams, agriculture and large-

scale land use changes;

122


Neglect;

Vandalism; and

Undocumented heritage including oral history.

9.8 The pressures on the built environment

The vast majority of settlements within the former homelands are economically

unsustainable. They accommodate people who are desperately in need of

improved infrastructure and improved social services. The provision of these

services is essential from a humanitarian point of view, but is likely to stimulate

economic growth in only a very small number of settlements. Economic

growth stimulation can only work in those villages where the residents reflect

an adequate range in the distribution of their income and skills and where

local resources can be converted to consumer and manufactured goods.

9.9 Pressures on the economy

Pressures relating to the economy include:

Dependence on external sources of supply;

Inadequate local capacity to add value to or beneficiate the raw

products found in the province;

Labour mobility and the migrant labour force;

Low skills levels;

Unemployment;

Distance between settlements and employment centres; and

Environmental and climatic extremes / unreliability.

123


Chapter 10: Key issues and potential indicators

10.1 Introduction 10.1.1 Approach

The key issues and potential indicators were identified during a

workshop with officials from the Environmental Affairs Branch of the

Department of Finance and Economic Development. The categories

that were decided on are:

The physical environment;

The biological environment;

The social and cultural environment;

The economic environment; and

Environmental governance.

These categories or themes differ from those identified by the national

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Once the final

indicators are chosen it should, however be easy to establish a cross

link with the ‘national themes’.

Issues relating to land use, the built environment and infrastructure are

incorporated with the social and economic issues.

10.1.2 Key issues

The key issues reflect the concerns that emanate from the pressures

described in the previous chapter. The issues are particular to

Limpopo and are used as the basis to ensure that the indicators that

are eventually chosen will be relevant to the province.

124


In addition the key issues also highlight areas on which environmental

management should focus. This should in turn contribute to the

generation of information required for the indicators.

10.1.3 Potential indicators

The potential indicators were identified to serve as a basis for the

choosing of the final indicators in phase 2 of the project. The

indicators were chosen systematically and attempt to build a logical

system that ensures the following:

The establishment of adequate baseline data;

The monitoring of change in the baseline data; and

In some instances, the quality assurance of the monitoring.

Some indicators can also be used for two or more issues and some

may form part of a larger activity that could incorporate several

indictors, like the proposed natural resource inventory.

The estimated levels of the indicators are also indicated. These are

preliminary and must be confirmed during phase 2 of the project. The

levels are:

Level 1: Adequate data are or should be available now for all

components of the indicator and can be used to support the

indicator without significant additional cost;

Level 2: the indicator is presently feasible, but cannot be provided

without additional investment in the data collection process; and

Level 3: no or very little data currently exists for the indicator, and

there is no immediate intention to collect the data.

An indication is also given of the frequency at which the indicator

should be reported on. This must also be confirmed during phase 2 of

the project.

125


The indicators have not been categorized in terms of type at this

stage. The framework, in which the types of indicators are established,

should be decided on during phase 2 of the project. Recent

discussions held with a senior official in the national Department of

Environmental Affairs and Tourism confirmed that the so-called ‘driving

force-pressure-state-impact-response’ framework is problematic and

that there are currently a movement away from the model,

internationally. A number of new, more practical, reporting

frameworks are emerging including the so-called ‘dashboard’

framework that gives an instant impression of the condition of the

environment.

10.2 Key issues and potential indicators for the physical environment

Key issues and potential indicators for the physical environment are contained

in the table below:

Table 55: Key issues and potential indicators for the physical environment

CA

TE

GO

RY

KE

Y IS

SU

ES

IND

ICA

TO

RS

LE

VE

L

FR

EQ

UE

NC

Y

Supply and demand imbalance

Periodic measurement of water supply and demand

2 5 yearly

Monitoring of water quality at selected places

3 Monthly Inappropriate land uses in and along aquatic systems Periodic spatial

analysis of land use along rivers

3 5 yearly

Water management

Impact of fertilizers and pesticides

Monitoring of water quality at selected places

3 Monthly

126


Periodic monitoring of change of fish, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates population for selected areas

3 5 yearly

Inadequate monitoring

Keep a register of monitoring programmes

3 Monthly

Sewerage disposal in certain areas

Periodic monitoring of water quality at selected sites (water board)

2 Weekly

Flood events and droughts/ disaster management

Long term climatic data monitoring

1 Daily

Inappropriate crop selection with high water demand in marginal areas

Periodic spatial analysis of agriculture in marginal areas

3 5 yearly

Abstraction of l groundwater for bulk supply without recharging

Monitor extraction of groundwater

2 Annual

Potential impact of climate change on water supply

Long term climatic data monitoring including humidity, rainfall, evaporation rate and temperature

1 Daily

Impact of fertilizers, pesticides and industrial discharge on water quality

Periodic monitoring of water quality at selected sites

3 Weekly

Establish and maintain a register of incidents

3 Continuous Disasters caused by (accidental) point pollution sources

Establish and maintain a record of implementation of disaster management plans

3 Continuous

Impact of legal waste landfill sites on groundwater and surface water (aquatic systems)

Borehole monitoring records

1 Monthly

Transboundary pollution discharge impacts

Periodic monitoring of water quality at selected sites

3 Weekly

127


Downstream impacts of pollution

Monitor impact of water pollution at selected sites

3 Yearly

Establish and maintain a record of the of mountain catchment areas that are managed

3 Yearly Management of mountain catchment areas

Periodic review of the Working for Water programme

3 Yearly

Establish and maintain register of environmental management plans for development

3 Yearly

Monitor compliance to EIA regulations

3 Continuous

Appropriate land use management

Maintain a register of development activities

3 Continuous

Increase or decrease of water quantity as a result of forestry plantations

Monitor stream flow in selected places

3 Weekly

Catchment management

Deforestation of plantations

Periodic spatial analysis of plantations

3 5 yearly

Establish and maintain an inventory areas with scenic quality

3 Continuous

Periodic monitoring development in the scenic valuable areas

3 Yearly

Scenic Quality Development pressures on scenically valuable areas

Periodic spatial analysis of scenically valuable areas

3 5 yearly

Establish and maintain an inventory of areas where deforestation occur

3 Continuous Deforestation

Periodic spatial analysis of deforestation

3 5 yearly

Land degradation

Unsustainable agricultural practices

Establish and maintain an inventory of unsustainable agricultural practices

3 Continuous

128


Periodic spatial analysis of unsustainable agricultural practices

3 5 yearly

Periodic spatial analysis of commercial forestry expansion

3 5 yearly Growth of commercial forestry industry in sensitive landscapes Keep a record of all

DWAF aforestation permits

1 Continuous

Establish and maintain an inventory of mines

3 Continuous Mining activities

Keep a record of all DME permits issued

1 Continuous

Establish and maintain a register of EIA applications

1 Continuous

Monitor compliance with EIA conditions

1 Continuous

Land use development

Periodic spatial analysis of land use development

3 5 yearly

Establish and maintain a record of unsustainable irrigation systems

3 Continuous Unsustainable irrigation systems (e.g. flood irrigation) resulting in soil loss and destruction of soil composition and structure

Periodic assessment of unsustainable irrigation practices

3 5 yearly

Periodic spatial analysis of land use development

3 5 yearly

Establish and maintain a register of EIA applications

1 Continuous

Inappropriate location of urban developments

Periodic review of spatial development plans

2 3 yearly

10.3 Key issues and potential indicators for the biological environment

Key issues and potential indicators for the biological environment are

contained in the table below:

129


Table 56: Key issues and potential indicators for the biological environment

CA

TE

GO

RY

KE

Y IS

SU

ES

IND

ICA

TO

RS

LE

VE

L

FR

EQ

UE

NC

Y

Conservation of a representative sample of habitats and vegetation types

Periodic spatial analysis-ACOCKS/ Conservation areas (also low and Rebelo)

3 5 yearly

How much vegetation is there and how much is changing over time?

Periodic spatial analysis of changes in vegetation- SPOT/land cover

3 5 yearly

Periodically updated guidelines for optimal sustainable use for various vegetation types

3 5 yearly Sustainable use of vegetation type resources

Periodic spatial analysis of current land use practices-SPOT/land cover

3 5 yearly

Inventory of medicinal plants (as part of environmental resource inventory)

3 5 yearly Medicinal plants (species, trends, threats, potential use)

Inventory of traditional healers

3 5 yearly

Vegetation inventory (as part of environmental resource inventory)

3 5 yearly

VEGETATION Vegetation type

Value of vegetation resources

Periodic vegetation resource valuation (as part of environmental resource valuation)

3 5 yearly

130


Number of cases reported

2 Monthly

Number of cases prosecuted

2 Monthly

Illegal trade

Inventory of specimens recovered plants (as part of environmental resource inventory)

2 Annually

Inventory of populations plants (as part of environmental resource inventory)

2 Annual Cycads (species, trends, threats, potential use)

Periodic monitoring of the population

2 Annual

Inventory of population (as part of environmental resource inventory)

2 Annual

Periodic monitoring of the population

2 Annual

Vegetation Diversity

Teak (species, trends, threats, potential use)

Annual audit of resource usage (Wood Cutter’s Association)

2 Annual

Lack of information

Maintain a register of research projects and expertise

3 Annual

Lack of research Annual report on new research projects

3 Annual

Inventory of taxa used commercially (as part of environmental resource inventory)

3 Annual

Periodic determination of commercial potential

3 Annual

Periodic measuring of abundance

3 Annual

FAUNA Invertebrates

Potential for commercial utilization

Annual audit of resource usage

3 Annual

131


Register of types, volumes and uses of pesticides/herbicides purchased

3 Annual Use of pesticides/herbicides

Measure quantities of pesticides/herbicides physically applied?

3 Annual

Number of staff allocated for monitoring

3 Annual

Record of partnerships with research organizations for monitoring

3 Annual

Inventory of research projects focussed on monitoring

3 Annual

Lack of capacity for monitoring

Monitor budget allocation for monitoring

1 Annual

Alien species Register of alien species with a distribution list

? Annual

Habitat destruction

State of Rivers reports

1 4 Yearly

Cross-breeding of species/hybridisation

Species and number (percentages) of periodic samples

2 Annual

IFR’s (In Stream Flow Requirements)

1 Annual Water quantity –abstraction of water

Monitoring and maintenance of the reserve

3 Annual

Number of fish ladders on weirs

3 5 Yearly


1 4 Yearly

Migration obstructions such as weirs and dams

Record of EIA processes for obstructions

3 Continuous


1 Annual

Partnerships with research organizations for monitoring

1 Annual

Fish


Research projects focussed on monitoring

1 Annual

132


Budget allocation for monitoring

1 Annual

Lack of information and research


3 Continuous

Water quality measurements at selected points

1 Monthly Siltation and habitat destruction


1 4 Yearly

Monitoring of selected populations as an indicator of water quality

3 Monthly Sensitivity to pollution


1 4 Yearly


1 Annual


1 Annual


1 Annual

Amphibians



1 Annual

Lack of information and research


3 Continuous

Loss of species diversity (extinction)

Periodic monitoring of loss of habitat

3 5 Yearly


2 Continuous Illegal exploitation


2 Continuous

Number of CITES permits issued

1 Continuous Possible sustainable utilization of reptiles

Number of Provincial permits issued

1 Continues


1 Annual


3 Annual


3 Annual

Reptiles



1 Annual

133


Monitor formal education curricula

3 4 Yearly Lack of knowledge / appreciation

Monitor environmental education programmes

3 Annual

Periodic monitoring of loss of habitat

3 5 Yearly Loss of species diversity (extinction)

SA bird atlas project

1 Annual

Register of types, volumes and uses of pesticides purchased

3 Continuous

Measure quantities of pesticides/herbicides physically applied?

3 Continuous

Records of control of Quelea quelea

3 Continuous

Deliberate poisoning of birds

Records of poisoning of scavengers and birds of prey

3 Continuous

Measure depletion of food source

3 5 Yearly Indiscriminate use of pesticides

Measure decline in distribution

3 5 Yearly

Critically endangered species

Periodic determination of conservation status

3 5 Yearly


2 Annual Illegal trade


2 Annual


1 Continuous Potential for commercial utilization Number of

Provincial permits issued

1 Continuous

Electrocution of birds

Periodic monitoring of ESKOM/EWT records and research

3 Annual

Lack of knowledge/appreciation

Monitor formal education curricula

3 4 Yearly

Birds

Traditional/cultural utilization

Monitoring occurrence of species in muti shops (crows; owls; vultures etc)

3 Annual

134



3 Annual

Threatened and Red Data species

Determine conservation status of threatened and Red Data species

3 Continuous

Register of types, volumes and uses of pesticides purchased

3 Continuous Poisoning of mammals

Quantities pesticides physically applied

3 Continuous

Domestication and intensive husbandry of wild animals

Establish and maintain and inventory of activities

3 Continuous

Impact of migrant elephants on riparian vegetation in the Limpopo valley

Monitor status of riparian vegetation in areas where migrant elephants occur in the Limpopo valley

3 Annual

Record of management plans

3 Continuous Inadequate management and monitoring

Measurement of overgrazing and overstocking

3 5 Yearly

Genetic integrity of mammal species

Detailed record of all animal movement

3 Continuous


1 Continuous Sustainable economic utilisation of mammals

Number of Provincial permits issued

1 Continuous


2 Continuous Illegal activities and trade


2 Continuous

Stocking rate database

3 Annual

Periodic stocking rate database assessment

3 Annual

Overgrazing and overstocking

Establishing whether carrying capacity has been exceeded

3 Annual

Mammals

Lack of incentives for appropriate management

Periodic monitoring of implementation of incentives

3 Annual

135


Monitor trends in wildlife diseases (what, where, how)

3 Continuous Diseases

Monitor impact of diseases on wildlife biodiversity

3 5 Yearly

Monitor occurrence of species in muti shops

3 Annual Traditional/cultural utilization


3 Annual

Loss of wetlands Monitor national inventory of wetlands

1 Annual

Loss of riparian vegetation


1 4 Yearly

Dams and weirs State of Rivers reports

1 4 Yearly

Register of all permits issued by DME

2 Annual Sand mining

Periodic spatial analysis of satellite imagery and aerial photographs

3 5 Yearly


1 4 Yearly Alien vegetation and species

Monitoring of working for water programmes

1 Annual


1 4 Yearly

DWAF database 1 Annual

Pollution of the aquatic habitat

Water research commission projects?

1 Annual

Erosion, siltation State of Rivers reports

1 4 Yearly

HABITATS Aquatic

Catchment management

Monitoring implementation of DWAF catchment management plans

1 5 Yearly

Loss of Montane grasslands

Periodic spatial analysis

3 5 Yearly

Loss of Indigenous forests


3 5 Yearly

Terrestrial

Degradation of all ridges and mountains


3 5 Yearly

136


Damage to caves e.g. Wolkberg cave

Maintain a register of protection measures and management plans

3 Continuous

Maintain a register of protection measures and management plan

2 Continuous Lake Fundudzi –(catchment; forest)

Periodic monitoring of land use activities and management in the catchment

3 Annual

Giant Baobab Maintain a register of protection measures and management plan

2 Continuous

Nylsvley Maintain a register of protection and management plans

2 Continuous

Modjadji Maintain a register of protection and management plans

2 Continuous

Establish a register of sensitive habitats (represented spatially).

3 Continuous Sensitive habitats

Loss of sensitive habitats

Establish and maintain a monitoring programme for each habitat

3 5 Yearly

Protected areas IUCN recommendation

Periodic monitoring to establish if IUCN criteria are being met

3 5 Yearly

10.4 Key issues and potential indicators for the social and cultural

environment

Key issues and potential indicators for the social and cultural environment are contained in the table below:

137


Table 57: Key issues and potential indicators for the social and cultural environment CATEGORY KEY ISSUES POTENTIAL

INDICATORS LEVEL

FREQUENCY

Catalogue all heritage sites in the province

List of heritage resources

2 Annual

Priority conservation for threatened significant sites

Strategy for significant sites

2 Annual

Management plan 2 Annual Development of Mapungubwe World Heritage site

Management plan implementation audits

3 Annual

Management plan 2 Annual World Heritage Status for Makapans Caves

Management plan implementation audits

3 Annual

Funding for heritage resource management

Budget in MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework)

1 Annual

Programme for the formalisation of relevant monument/heritage status

3 Annual Formalisation of relevant monument/heritage status (including natural heritage e.g. Common Wealth plantation etc.)

Management plan 3 Annual

Inventory of indigenous knowledge, including sources

3 Annual

Cultural-historical aspects

Acknowledge-ment of indigenous knowledge systems and customs List of legal and

other protection measures including for to protect the holders of indigenous knowledge from exploitation

3 Annual

Poverty Poverty index (to be compiled from Census data –the household survey)

1 5 Yearly

Housing Housing index (to be compiled from Census data –the household survey)

1 5 Yearly

138


Child-headed households

Status of child-headed households (to be compiled from Census data –the household survey)

1 5 Yearly

HIV/AIDS Morbidity and mortality

2 5 Yearly

Life expectancy Average life expectancy

1 5 Yearly

Malaria Morbidity and mortality

1 Annual

Welfare services

Rand spent per annum per person

1 Annual

Expenditure (trends)

3 5 Yearly Upgrading and refurbishing of health care facilities (maintenance and staff) (hospitals)

Levels of personnel

3 5 Yearly

Expenditure (trends)

3 5 Yearly Developing a sustainable primary health care system (clinics)

Number of clinics 3 5 Yearly

Land tenure Land ownership category database

3 5 Yearly

Young population requires investment in skills training

Expenditure on skills training

1 Annual

Sustainable development requires a well-trained labour force

Content, level and number of training that takes place

3 Annual

Unemployment figures per age group

1 5 Yearly High levels of unemployment in youth increases the tendency towards crime, violence and instability

Crime rate

1 Annually

Educational backlogs are an obstacle to development

Level of education of adults

1 5 Yearly

Social aspects

High percentage of population with no education (23%)

Level of education of adults

1 5 Yearly

139


Drop-off during formal education process (low percentage reach tertiary level)

Number of students in each level of education

1 5 Yearly

Inadequate care for the aged

Monetary provision for pensions in relation to number of pensioners

1 Annually

Unemployment Unemployment figures

1 5 Yearly

Use of wood as energy source for cooking

1 5 Yearly Unsustainable harvesting of wood as a cultural bias towards using wood for cooking and funerals etc.

Rates of deforestation and desertification (land cover/SPOT remote sensing analysis)

2 3 Yearly

Lack and backlog of basic services to rural and informal settlements

Index of basic service infrastructure per

3 3 Yearly

Inadequate waste facilities and management e.g. waste removal facilities

Index of waste management facilities

Local authorities

2 3 Yearly

Annual provincial EIP report

1 Annually Spatial rationale and IDPs to align with Provincial EIP (Environmental Implementation Plan)

Review of Spatial Rationale and IDPs in terms of the provincial EIP

3 Annually

Integration of environmental issues into the SDI’s and IDZ’s.

Review of the EMS implementation for each SDI or IDZ

2 2 Yearly

DWAF CMA infrastructure plans

1 5 Yearly Water infrastructure planning

WSDP’s for district and local municipalities

2 5 Yearly

National Roads Agency -plan

2 4 Yearly

Provincial Roads Agency-plan

2 4 Yearly

Infrastructure and planning

Road and infrastructure planning: Transport vector planning District

municipalities-plan 2 4 Yearly

140


Energy plan for the province from ESKOM

3 5 Yearly Appropriate primary energy sources

Utilization of renewable energy

3 5 Yearly

141


10.5 Key issues and potential indicators for the economic environment

Key issues and potential indicators for the economic environment are


Table 58: Potential indicators for the economic environment

CA

TE

GO

RY

KE

Y IS

SU

ES

IND

ICA

TO

RS

LE

VE

L

FR

EQ

UE

NC

Y

Job creation / lack of income generation opportunities

Monitor employment

1 5 yearly

Monitor economic growth

1 5 yearly Enlarging provincial economy Monitor DFED

data base 1 Annual

Monitor GDP / capita

5 yearly Improve GDP / capita

Monitor DFED data base

Annual

Monitor the expansion of the economic base

1 5 yearly Broadening economic base

Monitor DFED data base

1 Annual

Development of secondary nodes

Monitoring implementation of the Spatial Rationale for Limpopo

3

Establish and maintain a provincial strategic mineral development plan

3 Annual

Keep a provincial record of EMPR’s and permits issued (focus on conditions)

3 Monthly

Economic Environment

Sustainable development of the mining and mineral potential of the province

Periodic audits of strategic mineral development plan (link with EIP)

3 4 yearly

142


Periodic audits of EMPR’s and permits

3 Annual

Establish and maintain an environmental resource inventory

3 Annual Recognizing the value of biodiversity in the province as a key resource for sustainable development

Periodic environmental resource valuation

3 5 yearly

Periodic calculation of economic value of local subsistence economies

3 5 yearly Acknowledgement of local subsistence economies

Periodic determination of the contribution of natural resources to subsistence economies

3 5 yearly

Inability to retain provincially generated income

Monitor income retention and flows of income

2 Annual

Sustainable development of economic infrastructure

Monitor investment in economic infrastructure (DFED data and STATS SA data)

3 5 yearly

Capital intensive agricultural practices (with negative labour and environmental consequences)

Spatial monitoring of agricultural practices (Remote sensing)

3 5 yearly

Establish and maintain an economic database of tourism facilities

3 Annual Capital intensive tourism market (with negative labour and environmental consequences) -not all retained in the province

Periodic monitoring of economic trends of the tourism market

3 3 yearly

Inadequate secondary economic activities

Monitor the development of secondary economic activities

1 5 yearly

High percentage of ex-provincial land ownership (land not owned by South Africans)

Establish and maintain a land ownership database

3 Monthly

143


Unsustainable harvesting of wood as a primary and perceived “free” source of income

Monitor the dependence on wood as an energy source

1 5 yearly

10.6 Key issues and potential indicators for environmental governance

Key issues and potential indicators for environmental governance are


Table 59: Key issues and potential indicators for environmental governance

CA

TE

GO

RY

KE

Y IS

SU

ES

IND

ICA

TO

RS

LE

VE

L

FR

EQ

UE

NC

Y

Monitor budget allocation against responsibilities

1 Annual Minimising waste and pollution in the province Monitor personnel

capacity against responsibilities

1 Annual


1 Annual Managing the biodiversity of the province

Monitor personnel capacity against responsibilities

1 Annual


1 Annual Empowering people to take part in sound environmental governance at all levels

Monitor personnel capacity against responsibilities

1 Annual


1 Annual Regulating the use of an impact on natural resources Monitor personnel

capacity against responsibilities

1 Annual

Governance

Minimising negative environmental


1 Annual

144


impacts. Monitor personnel capacity against responsibilities

1 Annual

Political buy-in Monitor policies and budgets approved by provincial council

1 Annual

145


SECTION D: CONCLUSION

146


Chapter 11: Phase Two of the State of the Environment

Report

11.1 Introduction

Phase 1 of the project focused on the establishment of the current state of the

environment in Limpopo. The second phase of the project should focus on the

establishment of a comprehensive framework for state of the environment

reporting. The framework should include:

A final list of indicators;

An indicator database;

The allocation of responsibility for each indicator;

Links to the national reporting themes;

Political sanction of the framework; and

An implementation and maintenance plan.

11.2 Stakeholder and public participation

11.2.1 Stakeholders

The provincial Department of Finance and Economic Affairs cannot

perform the SoER task alone. It will need the support of other

government departments and agencies to attain the desired results.

Key stakeholders, amongst others, include:

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism;

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry;

The Department of Minerals and Energy Affairs;

The provincial Department of Health and Welfare;

The provincial Department of Planning;

The six district municipalities;

ESKOM; and

The big mining companies in the province.

147


These stakeholders should not only be involved in the process, but

should also be engaged in a spirit of co-operative governance to

ensure that the key environmental issues in the province are addressed

by the SoER.

During phase 2 of the project, stakeholders should be engaged

individually and collectively to ensure that the required level of

cooperation is achieved. Stakeholder participation should include:

Meetings with individual stakeholders in order to get commitment

over areas of the environment under the control of stakeholders;

Focus group meetings around specific pertinent issues; and

Workshops (at least 2) to assist with the selection of the final set of

indicators.

11.2.2 General public participation

The purpose of general public participation differs from the purpose of

consulting with stakeholders. Here the focus should be on getting buy-

in into the process and the SoER products.

The responses from the public to the invitations to participate (that

were distributed with the Limpopo State of the Environment Overview)

were disappointing. At the time of writing only five responses were

received, 2 from municipalities, 2 from environmental consultants and

1 from Elim hospital.

In order to make participation relevant and meaningful it should be

targeted at specific audiences. During the SoER development phases

the focus should be on those who can contribute either information or

specific insight. They include:

Higher education institutions;

Research institutions;

Professional institutes;

Service providers;

Consultants and other professionals;

Politicians; and

148


Community leaders.

The public at large should be targeted as the receiving audience

once a SoER document is produced in a final format.

11.3 Refining the indicators

The proposed list of indicators in chapter 10 of this document must be refined

during phase 2 of the project. It should be condensed to a list of indicators

that are feasible while still covering the key issues adequately. This process of

refining may include:

Combining indicators;

Focusing on indicators which can be maintained over time;

Focusing on indicators that will contribute most to the envisaged national

reporting system;

Using indicators as mechanisms for improved co-operative governance;

and

Giving priority to certain aspects of the environment that is under specific

or severe pressure.

It is important that indicators are linked to specific responsibilities, which are

clearly allocated to specific posts or people. Whenever possible indictors

should be integrated into existing environmental management functions and

should act as a reporting extension of such functions. A targeted functional

analysis of environmental management in the province, across the various

departments, should therefore form part of phase 2 to ensure that the

selected indicators will be viable.

149


Chapter 12: Recommended Environmental Management

Responses

12.1 Introduction

From phase 1 of the project a number of focus areas for environmental

management response can be identified. These include:

Inadequate information;

Inadequate monitoring and research;

Inadequate interdepartmental cooperation; and

Lack of a coherent information system that integrates all the different

aspects.

The province also has a number of key strengths, which include:

Strong political buy-in;

Good management skills and capacity;

High level of expertise in certain fields;

Good IT skills; and

Motivated staff.

12.2 Inadequate information

For a number of aspects there is not enough information available to establish

the status quo. It is, therefore, also clear that it is not possible to conduct

adequate environmental management of these aspects. These aspects

include:

Air pollution in the province and the impact that industries, households

and mineral exploitation has on ambient air quality;

The quality of groundwater and the effect of impacts on groundwater;

Terrestrial invertebrates;

150


Reptiles (information outdated);

Amphibians (very little information);

Birds (information too broad);

The categorization of wetlands;

Wetlands in rural areas;

The use of plants for medicine in terms of volumes;

The capacity of the environment to produce firewood at current rates;

and

The location and value of scenic areas.

It is important to establish and maintain at least a basic knowledge of these

aspects to ensure proper environmental management.

12.3 Inadequate monitoring and research

Ongoing monitoring and research are essential aspects in ensuring that

environmental management is appropriate. The current levels of monitoring

and research in the province are inadequate to provide the necessary

information for the SoER and also to support environmental management in

general. It is important that the monitoring and research capacity be

strengthened to at least provide the information necessary for the SoER

process.

12.4 Inadequate interdepartmental cooperation

The management of the environment stretches across the functional areas of

various government departments. In order to address complex processes that

impact on the environment it is important that government departments

cooperate in a way that will maximize the capacity of government to do the

necessary work. Desertification and/or deforestation in places are a good

example of where the province should cooperate with the Department of

Water Affairs and Forestry as well as the provincial Department of Agriculture.

Air quality management and waste management require similar

interdepartmental approaches.

151


12.5 Lack of a coherent information system

During the ‘indicator workshop’ it became clear that the province needs an

environmental resource inventory that serves as the repository of all research

and monitoring information. This inventory should also be the main source of

information for the SoER process. It is also proposed that it be used as the

basis for determining the value of environmental resources and the direct as

well as indirect contributions made to the economy of the province.

The inventory should have at least the following subcomponents:

A flora inventory that includes veld types and species lists, special habitats,

vulnerable species, medicinal plants and special features;

A fauna inventory that covers the distribution, and where possible the

species of invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals;

A ground water inventory that includes water quality and quantity;

An inventory of scenic places and their condition;

An inventory of cultural and historical resources including their location

and condition;

An inventory of caves.

i


INDEX OF DOCUMENTS USED TO COMPILE THE LIMPOPO STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT (PHASE 1) Notes:

a. The documents are listed in the order they were received.

b. Where appropriate, the reference numbers occur in “superscript” in the

text of the document next to the title of a section or at the end of a

paragraph.

c. All the documents are available in the offices of Environomics or Africon.

Reference

Number

DOCUMENT TITLE

(and where known: relevant notes, authors/publisher and date)

1 Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Development (DFED). 2003.

Database for Environmental Fair. Database.

2 Sharp, I.C. July 2003. State of Biodiversity: Report on Information and

Documentation gathered through consultations with other parties.

Department of Finance and Economic Development.

3 Burger, L. 2003. Summary of Reptiles (Class Reptilia) of Limpopo Province :

including Endemic, Extinct, and Threatened Species, Threats, Legislative

Control, and Conservation Measures. Department of Finance and Economic

Development: Biomonitoring. Internal unpublished document.

4 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). July 2003. Minutes

of NBSAP Steering Committee Meeting.

5 Kruger, J. 2003. Conservation Status: Mammals in Limpopo. Limpopo

Department of Finance and Economic Development (DFED) : Species

Conservation and Biodiversity Management. Internal unpublished

memorandum.

ii


6A Trade & Investment Limpopo. 2003. Guide to Investment in Limpopo, SA. 1st

edition.

6B Trade & Investment Limpopo. 2003. Guide to Investment in Limpopo, SA. 2nd

edition.

7 Rodgers, S. 2003. Scarce and Threatened Plants of Limpopo Province.

Department of Finance and Economic Development: Environmental Affairs.

Internal unpublished document.

8 Anglis, M. 2003. Limpopo Province Situation Analysis: Aquatics. Limpopo

Department of Finance and Economic Development. Internal

Memorandum.

9 Limpopo Department of Finance and Economic Development (DFED).

Statistics of EIA applications received and RODs issued from 1998 to

December 2002. Internal Memorandum.

10 Northern Province. March 2001. Environmental Implementation Plan. First

Edition. Provincial Gazette Vol8. No. 755, Notice 186 of 2001. Pietersburg,


List of registered EIA projects – April ’03.

12 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). June 2003. Crocodile West

Marico Water Management Area. Marico Upper Molopo & Upper Ngotwane

Internal Strategic Perspective Report.

13 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). March 2003. Development

of Internal Strategic perspectives: Water Management Areas 1 to 4.

Directorate of Water Resource Planning, North.

14 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). May 2003. Limpopo Water

Management Area – Internal Strategic Perspective Draft Report.

15 Northern Province Department of Health and Welfare. 2002. Northern

Province Medical Waste Management Survey. Report.

iii


16 Northern Province Department of Trade Industry and Tourism. 1998. Register

of Manufacturers in the Northern Province – December 1998.

17 Department of Minerals and Energy (DME). 2003. Mines List (Limpopo)

18 The North West Province Department of Agriculture, Conservation and

Environment. 2002. Executive Summary – State of the Environment report

2002.


Tourism – Limpopo Province as a Tourist Attraction Destination, Limpopo

Province web pages.

20 Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). September 2003. Census 2001 by Provincial

demarcation, Statistical Tables and Economic Data.

21 Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs (DME). September 2003. Overview

on Current Mining Activities in Limpopo Province. Directorate Mineral

Development: Limpopo Province, Sub-directorate: Mine Rehabilitation.

22 Erasmus, G. 2003. Limpopo Province State of the Environment Report: Draft

Brochure Input: Overview: Governance for environmentally sustainable

development in Limpopo Province, unpublished report.

23 Pieterse, Du Toit & Associates Town and Regional Planners. 2002. Hierarchy

for Limpopo Province and District Municipalities, summary of the proposed

settlements (Table 9.1).

24 Mellissa et al. Towards the Establishment of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere

Reserve. Brochure.

25 CIDB. 2003. Issues raised by President Mbeki in his State of the Nation Address,

14 February 2003 – with specific relevance to the construction industry and its

development and transformation. Report.

http://www.gov.za/events/2003/son03adv.htm

iv


26 Van Der Merwe, I.J. 2003. Input on Forests for State of the Resources

Document for Limpopo Province. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry,

unpublished memorandum.

27 Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). 1996. Census of Manufacturing – 1996,

StatsSA web pages (March 2001).

http://www.statssa.pwv.gov.za

28 Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). 1997. Census of Provincial Statistics (Part 9) –

Northern Province, StatsSA web pages (May 1997).

http://www.statssa.pwv.gov.za

29 iafrica.com. 2003. South Africa - Economy, iafrica.com web pages

(25/09/1993).

http://africa.iafrica.com/countryinfo.southafrica/economy

30 Limpopo Department of Health and Welfare (DHW). 2003. Contact

Information, Limpopo government web pages (September 2003). http://

http://www.limpopo.gov.za/depts/health.html

31 Government of South Africa. 2003. The nine provinces – Provincial overview,

SA Government web pages (25/09/2003).

http://www.gov.za/province/overview.html

32 Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). September 2003. Census 2001: Stats Tables

and Maps, StatsSA.

33 Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). November 2002. Discussion paper: Gross

Domestic Product per region, Annual estimates 1995 – 2001.

34 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). 2002. Environmental

Indicators for National State of Environment Reporting brochure, Pretoria.

35 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). 1998. Community water

Supply & Sanitation strategic study – Northern Province, topic book G:

Environment.

v


36 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). 1998. Community Water

Supply & Sanitation Strategic Study – Northern Province, topic book F:

Economics and Socio-economics.


Supply & Sanitation Strategic Study – Northern Province, topic book C:

Infrastructure.


Supply & Sanitation Strategic Study – Northern Province, topic book B: Water

Resources.


2002/2003. Annual Citizen’s Report 2002/2003.

40 Pieterse Du Toit & Associates Town and Regional Planners. November 2002.

Limpopo province Spatial Rationale, Section 2A and 2B. Report.

41 Northern Province Government. 1998. Growth and Development Strategy

1097/98, Limpopo Government web pages (September 2003).

http://www.limpopo.gov.za/economy/gds.html

42 Africon & Environomics Joint Venture. 2003. Limpopo SoER Technical Project

Proposal. Unpublished report.


Limpopo State of the Environment Report – Overview. Report.

44 Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). 1998. Living in Northern Province – Selected

findings of the 1995 October household survey. Report.

45 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (Date unknown). Northern

Province Report: Findings from the Baseline Data – Landfill Data for the

Northern province. DWAF, Water Quality Management.


Supply & Sanitation Strategic Study – Northern Province, topic book A:

vi


Customer.

47 Friends of Nylsvley. Welcome to Nylsvley and the Nyl Floodplain Newsletter.


Conservation Status of Veld Types (Acocks). Internal Memorandum.

49 Low, A.B. & a.g. Robelo. 1996. Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and

Swaziland. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), Pretoria.

50 Knoll, C. A Sacred Place Under Seige, Environmental Challenges at Lake

Fundudzi. In Urban Green File, Vol.8 No.3. Brooke Pattrick, Johannesburg,

51 Wahl, M. & K. Naude. 1996. National Register of Protected Areas in South

Africa. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

52 Acocks, J.H.P. 1988. Veld Types of South Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical

Survey of South Africa No.57. Department of Agriculture and Water Supply,

Pretoria.

53 Limpopo Provincial Legislature. 2003. Environmental Management Bill.

Executive Council responsible for the Department of Finance and Economic

Development.

54 Wahl, M. and Malan, J. South African Natural Heritage Programme Annual

Report 119/1196. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

Schneider Electric South Africa.

55 Barnes, K.N. 1998. The Important Bird Areas of Southern Africa edited by Keith

N. Barnes. Bird Life South Africa, Johannesburg.

56 Limpopo Department of Health and Welfare (DHW). 2003. Health Statistics:

TB, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Health Care Facilities, Hospital Utilisation. Unpublished

memorandum.

57 Water Research Commission (WRC). 2001. State of Rivers Report: Letaba and

Luvuvhu river systems. WRC report No. TT165/01.

vii


58 Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn, Tlou & Matji Engineering and Management

Services. May 2003. Limpopo Water Management Area -Internal Strategic

Perspective. Draft Report.


Services. 2003. Crocodile River (West) Catchment Water Management areas

1-4 - Internal Strategic Perspective Report,


Services. 2003. Crocodile West Marico Water Management Area: Internal

Strategic Perspective Report.

61 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. 1996. Groundwater Harvest

Potential of South Africa. Government Printer, Pretoria. (Map)

62 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. 1996. Groundwater resources of

the Republic of South Africa. Water Research Commission, DWAF. (map)

63 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF).1998. Hydrogeological

map series of Republic of South Africa, Phalaborwa 2330, (map)

64 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). 2002. Hydrogeological

map series of Republic of South Africa, Messina 2127, (map)

65 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). 2003. Hydrogeological

map series of Republic of South Africa, Polokwane 2326, (map)

66 Department of Finance (DF). 2003. Intergovernmental fiscal review 2003.

Treasury Department. Government Printer, Pretoria.

67 Wellington J.H. 1955. Southern Africa, A Geographical Study, Volume 1:

Physical Geography. Cambridge University Press, London.

68 Roberts, J.L. 1998. A Photographic Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils. New

Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, London.

viii


69 Van Wyk, B.E. et al. 1997. Medicinal Plants of South Africa. Briza Publications,

Pretoria.

70 Van Wyk, A.E. & G.F. Smith. Regions of Floristic Endemism in Southern Africa. A

review with emphasis on succulents. Umdaus Press, Hatfield.

71 McLachlan, G.R. February 1978. South African Red Data Book – Reptiles and

Amphibians. National Programme for Environmental Sciences, South African

National Scientific Programmes Report No 23. CSIR, Pretoria.

72 Brooke, R.K. December 1984. South African Red Data Book – Birds. National

Programme for Environmental Sciences, South African National Scientific

Programmes Report No 97. CSIR, Pretoria.

73 Skelton, P.H.1987. South African Red Data Book – Fishes. National

Programme for Environmental Sciences, South African National Scientific

Programmes Report No 137. CSIR, Pretoria.

74 Smithers, R.H.N.1986. South African Red Data Book – Terrestrial Mammals.

National Programme for Environmental Sciences, South African National

Scientific Programmes Report No 125. CSIR, Pretoria.

75 Rodgers, S. 2003. Medicinal Plants List of Limpopo Province. Internal

document. Department of Finance and Economic Development.

76 Holm, E. & E. Marais. 1992. Fruit Chafers of Southern Africa. Ekogilde, Pretoria.

77 Pringle, F.L.L. et al. 1994. Pennington’s Butterflies of Southern Africa. Struik,

Cape Town.

78 Broadly, D. 1983. FitzSimons’ Snakes of Southern Africa. Delta Books.

79 Sinden, L. 1999. Inventory of Heritage Sites in the Northern Province. Limpopo

Department of Sports, Arts and Culture: Sub-Directorate, Heritage Services.

80 Water Research Commission (WRC). 2001. State of Rivers Report: Crocodile,

Sabie-Sand and Olifants river systems. WRC report No. TT147/01

ix


81 Great North Tourism. Nylsvley Nature Reserve. Northern Province Tourism

Board, Pietersburg.

82 Discovering SA. July/September 2003. Limpopo Province. Knysna.

83 Van Wyk, B. et al. 2000. Photographic Guide to the Trees of Southern Africa.

Briza Publications, Pretoria.

84 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). 2003. Environmental

Potential Atlas (ENPAT) Limpopo Province. Digital CD Atlas.

85 Walmsley, R.D et al. 1994. Cities and Sustainable Development – A report by

a South African observer team following attendance at the Global Forum ’94

Conference: Cities and Sustainable Development (Manchester, 24 – 28 June

1994. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

86 South African Weather Bureau. 2003. Climate tables.

87 South African Weather Bureau. 2003. Rainfall tables.

88 Agricultural Resource Council. 2003. Resource maps of Limpopo: Areas of

map units – tables. Document extracts.

89 Limpopo Department of Health and Welfare. 2003. Health statistics compiled

from the departmental database for the Limpopo SOER. Tables.

90 ESKOM. 2002. Energy consumption per sector for South Africa. Table.

91 South African Tourism Strategic Research Unit. 2003. South African Tourism

Index Quarterly report (Q1 2003) January to March 2003. Report.

1


APPENDIXES

2


Appendix A: Climate and rainfall tables for selected towns Note: Climate and rainfall data for many towns were discontinued in 1991. Newer

information, where available, is included in the main text of the document.

Average Climate and Rainfall for Bela-Bela

Position: 24° 54' S 28° 20' E

Height: 1143m

Period: 1961-1990

Temperature (° C) Precipitation

Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)

Average Number of days with >= 1mm

Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 40 30 17 9 120 12 77

February 37 29 17 10 84 9 102

March 37 28 15 3 74 9 65

April 34 26 12 2 37 6 37

May 32 24 7 -2 7 2 22

June 28 21 3 -8 6 1 30

July 28 21 3 -6 2 1 14

August 33 24 6 -6 5 1 26

September 37 28 10 -3 16 2 41

October 38 29 14 3 58 8 84

November 38 29 15 6 101 11 88

December 39 30 16 7 124 13 82

Year 40 27 11 -8 634 74 102

3


Average Climate and Rainfall for Polokwane

Position: 23° 52' S 29° 27' E

Height: 1230m

Period: 1961-1990


Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 36 28 17 10 82 10 79

February 36 28 17 11 60 8 61

March 34 27 15 8 52 8 57

April 34 24 12 4 33 6 57

May 32 22 8 1 11 2 39

June 27 20 5 -4 5 1 26

July 27 20 4 -1 3 1 21

August 32 22 7 -1 6 1 37

September 34 25 10 0 17 2 39

October 37 26 13 5 43 7 55

November 36 27 15 7 85 10 53

December 35 27 16 9 81 11 74

Year 37 25 12 -4 478 65 79

4


Average Climate and Rainfall for Musina

Position: 22° 16' S 29° 54' E

Height: 522m

Period: 1961-1990


Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 44 34 21 13 58 7 102

February 41 32 21 13 57 7 79

March 41 32 20 10 39 5 112

April 40 30 16 6 27 3 92

May 38 27 11 1 10 2 42

June 32 25 7 -4 4 1 44

July 33 25 7 -3 1 0 6

August 38 27 10 -4 1 0 19

September 42 30 14 4 12 1 44

October 42 31 17 8 24 4 43

November 43 32 19 11 49 6 74

December 43 33 20 11 57 6 66

Year 44 30 15 -4 339 42 112

5


Average Climate and Rainfall for Thohoyandou

Position: 22° 58' S 30° 30' E

Height: 600m

Period: 1982-1990


Month

Highest Record

ed

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 40 31 20 15 74 11 96

February 39 30 20 14 108 12 116

March 38 30 19 12 75 11 106

April 37 28 16 9 47 8 94

May 37 26 13 7 15 4 32

June 33 24 10 3 17 3 30

July 32 24 10 2 14 3 24

August 35 25 12 6 11 3 40

September 39 27 14 6 39 5 103

October 38 28 16 7 93 9 77

November 42 29 18 11 76 12 93

December 41 30 19 12 128 14 182

Year 42 28 16 2 697 94 182

6


Average Climate Statistics for Thohoyandou (Period: 1982-1990) Temperature (° C) Precipitation

Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 40 31 20 15 74 11 96

February 39 30 20 14 108 12 116

March 38 30 19 12 75 11 106

April 37 28 16 9 47 8 94

May 37 26 13 7 15 4 32

June 33 24 10 3 17 3 30

July 32 24 10 2 14 3 24

August 35 25 12 6 11 3 40

September 39 27 14 6 39 5 103

October 38 28 16 7 93 9 77

November 42 29 18 11 76 12 93

December 41 30 19 12 128 14 182

Year 42 28 16 2 697 94 182

7


Average Climate Statistics for Polokwane (Period: 1961-1990) Temperature (° C) Precipitation

Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 36 28 17 10 82 10 79

February 36 28 17 11 60 8 61

March 34 27 15 8 52 8 57

April 34 24 12 4 33 6 57

May 32 22 8 1 11 2 39

June 27 20 5 -4 5 1 26

July 27 20 4 -1 3 1 21

August 32 22 7 -1 6 1 37

September 34 25 10 0 17 2 39

October 37 26 13 5 43 7 55

November 36 27 15 7 85 10 53

December 35 27 16 9 81 11 74

Year 37 25 12 -4 478 65 79

8


Average Climate Statistics for Musina (Period: 1961-1990) Temperature (° C) Precipitation

Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 44 34 21 13 58 7 102

February 41 32 21 13 57 7 79

March 41 32 20 10 39 5 112

April 40 30 16 6 27 3 92

May 38 27 11 1 10 2 42

June 32 25 7 -4 4 1 44

July 33 25 7 -3 1 0 6

August 38 27 10 -4 1 0 19

September 42 30 14 4 12 1 44

October 42 31 17 8 24 4 43

November 43 32 19 11 49 6 74

December 43 33 20 11 57 6 66

Year 44 30 15 -4 339 42 112

9


Average Climate Statistics for Bela-Bela (Period: 1961-1990) Temperature (° C) Precipitation

Month Highest

Recorded

Average Daily

Maximum

Average Daily

Minimum

Lowest Recorded

Average Monthly

(mm)


Highest 24 Hour

Rainfall (mm)

January 40 30 17 9 120 12 77

February 37 29 17 10 84 9 102

March 37 28 15 3 74 9 65

April 34 26 12 2 37 6 37

May 32 24 7 -2 7 2 22

June 28 21 3 -8 6 1 30

July 28 21 3 -6 2 1 14

August 33 24 6 -6 5 1 26

September 37 28 10 -3 16 2 41

October 38 29 14 3 58 8 84

November 38 29 15 6 101 11 88

December 39 30 16 7 124 13 82

Year 40 27 11 -8 634 74 102

10


Appendix B: Wind patterns for selected towns in Limpopo

11


12


13


14


15


Appendix C: Solar radiation data for Polokwane

Solar Radiation data (kj/m2)

Polekwane WO 2002(month 1-12) Lat: -23.8700 Lon: 29.4500 Height: 1237 m Month Averages

H06 H07 H08 H09 H10 H11 H12 H13

January 130 740 1380 2210 2740 3120 3390 3260February 40 480 1150 1790 2320 2850 3160 3120March 10 410 1140 1840 2630 3020 3160 2840April 10 160 810 1520 2140 2590 2920 2890May 0 70 700 1330 1860 2300 2540 2490June 0 30 470 1060 1580 1940 2200 2180July 0 40 580 1190 1750 2180 2420 2410August 0 110 680 1210 1770 2110 2330 2340September 10 300 950 1620 2200 2650 2880 2860October 30 440 1050 1680 2390 2880 3060 3100November 100 700 1400 2220 2880 3280 3360 3410December 130 600 1240 1870 2510 2790 2980 2940

Month Averages

H14 H15 H16 H17 H18 H19 Total

January 2870 2650 2090 1500 780 120 26980 February 2950 2440 1830 1230 500 30 23890 March 2680 2240 1680 1040 330 10 23030 April 2600 2130 1590 820 140 0 20320 May 2270 1870 1280 600 40 0 17350 June 1970 1610 1020 450 20 0 14530 July 2120 1770 1210 520 30 0 16220 August 2090 1690 1160 600 70 0 16160 September 2740 2220 1600 950 240 10 21230 October 2820 2550 1950 1200 480 20 23650 November 3090 2570 2100 1390 690 90 27280 December 2670 2210 1680 1170 540 90 23420

16


Appendix D: Rare and endangered plant species

Rare and Endangered Plant Species are listed below, 1999 7.

No Species Status

1 Adeniafruticosa subsp Indeterminate

2 Adenium oleifolium Indeterminate

3 Agapanthus coddii Insufficient data

4 Agapanthus dyeri Insufficient data

5 Albizia amara subsp lsericocelJhala Insufficient data

6 Alchornea laxiflora Not Threatened

7 Allophylus alnifolius Not Threatened

8 Aloe monotropa Rare

9 Aloe petrophila Rare

10 Aloe reitzii var reitzii Indeterminate

11 Aloe Soutpansbergnsis Rare

12 Aloe thompsoniae Indeterminate

13 Aloe vandermerwei Rare

14 Aloe vossii Rare

15 Anacampseros bemenkampii (now A. rhodesica) Vulnerable

16 Angraecum chameanthus Rare

17 Anthericum cyperaceum Insufficient data

18 Babiana hypogea var Indeterminate

19 Borassus aethiopum Rare

20 Boscia anfustifolia var corymbosa Insufficient

21 Bosciafoetida subspp minima Rare

22 Brac,hystelma gemmeum Rare

23 Brachystelma gracillimum Rare

24 Brachystelma minor Rare

17


25 Brachystelma pachypo- Not threatened

26 Brachystelma parvulum Indeterminate

27 Brachystelma pilosum Rare

28 Brackenridgea zangue- ?

29 Burmannia madagao-cariensis Insufficient

30 Capparis sepiaria var Not threatened

31 Ceropegia cimiciodora Vulnerable

32 Ceropegia distincta subspverruculosa (now C ver-ruculosa)

Rare

33 Ceropegia mafekengensis Rare

34 Ceropegia stentiae Rare

35 Ceropegia turricula Insufficient data

36 Combretum collinum subspp taborense Insufficient

37 Combretum padoides Insufficient data

38 Combretum petrophilum Rare

39 Combretum vendae Insufficient data

40 Commiphora zanzibarica Not threatened

41 Cordia africana Not threatened

42 Cordia grandicalyx Not threatened

43 Croton scheffleri Not threatened

44 Cyathula natalensis Insufficient data

45 Cyrtanthus mocowani Insufficient data

46 Cyrtanthus thorncroflii Rare

47 Deinbollia xanthocarpa Not threatened

48 Dombeya kirkii Not threatened

49 Dryptes mossambicensis Insufficient data

50 Elephantorrhiza praeter-missa Insufficient data

51 Encephalartos cupidus Vulnerable

52 Encephalartos dolomiticus Endangered

53 Encephalartos dyerianus Endangered

18


54 Encephalartos eugene Vulnerable

55 Encephalartos hirsutus Endangered

56 Pncephalartos inopinus Endangered

57 F;;ncephalartos laevifolius / brevifoliolatus Endangered

58 Encephalartos pauciden- Vulnerable

59 Encephalartos transveno- Rare

60 Encephalartos nubimontanus / venitus Endangered

61 Ensete ventricosum Indeterminate

62 Eragrostis arenicola Not threatened

63 Eriosema transvaalense Indeterminate

64 Erythrophysa transvaalen- Rare

65 Eulophia coddii Indeterminate

67 Euphorbia barnardii Endangered

68 Euphorbia clivicola Vulnerable

69 Euphorbia grandialata Rare

70 Euphorbia groenewaldii Endangered

71 Euphorbia louwii Insufficient data

72 Fuphorbia restricta Rare

73 Euphorbia rowlandii Rare

74 Euphorbia tortirama Vulnerable

75 Euphorbia waterbergensis Vulnerable

76 Euphorbia zoutpansber- Rare

77 Faurea macnaughtonii Rare

78 Feliciafruticosa subsp Rare

79 Festuca dracomontana Insufficient data

80 Freylinia tropica Rare

81 Gladiolus macneilii Vulnerable

82 Gladiolus varius var mi- Not threatened

83 Gladiolus vernus Not threatened

19


84 Grewia rogersi Not threatened

85 Guibourtia conjugata Not threatened

86 Habernaria kraenzliniana Insufficient data

87 Heinsia crinita Not threatened

88 Hermbstaedtia capitata Indeterminate

89 Hibiscus articulatus Insufficient data

90 Hibiscus barnardii Rare

91 Hibiscus sabiensis Vulnerable

92 Hibiscus waterbergensis Insufficient data

93 Hippocratea crenata Not threatened

94 Hippocratea parvifolia Not threatened

95 Holarrhena pubescens Not threatened

96 Hoodia currorii subsp Not threatened

97 Huernia nouhuysii Endangered

98 Hugonia orientalis Rare

99 Hymenodictyon parvi- Insufficient data

100 Hyptis spicigera Not threatened

101 lnula paniculata Insufficient data

102 Vasminum abyssinbicum Insufficient data

103 Kalanchoe crundallii Rare

104 Kalanchoe rogersii Not threatened

105 vniphofia coralligemma Rare

106 Kniphofia crassifolia Indeterminate

107 Kniphofia rigidifolia Rare

108 Kotschya thymodora Not threatened

109 Lagynia dryadum Not threatened

110 Leucospermum saxosum Rare

111 May tenus oxycarpa Insufficient data

112 May tenus pubescens Insufficient data

20


113 Melinus tenuissima Not threatened

114 Mondia whitei Insufficient data

115 Monsonia lanuginosa Indeterminate

116 Myrsine pillansii Rare

117 Neobulosia tysonii Rare

118 Nervillia umbrosa (Now Nervillia bicarinata) Indeterminate

119 Nymphaea lotus Not threatened

120 Oberonia distichia Endangered

121 Ochna glauca Not threatened

122 Ocotea kenyensis Rare

123 Orbea maculata Rare

124 Orbeanthus conjunctus Vulnerable

125 Orbeanthus hardyi Vulnerable

126 Orbeopsis gerstneri (subsv elonrrata) Rare

127 Oreosyce africana Not threatened

128 Pachycymbium lan- casteri Rare

129 Peristrophe cliffordii Indeterminate

130 Peristrophe gililan- diorum Indeterminate

131 Peristrophe transvaalen- Insufficient data

132 Phyllanthus pinnatus Not threatened

133 Pilea rivularis Not threatened

134 Plinthus rehmannii Vulnerable

135 Polycarpea eriantha var effusa Not threatened

136 Polystachya albescens Insufficient data

137 Portulaca foliosa Insufficient data

138 Pro tea gaguedii Not threatened

139 Pro tea roupelliae subsp rouvelliae Not threatened

140 Protea welwitschii Not threatened

141 Portulaca trian-themoides Vulnerable

21


142 Rhus batophylla Rare

143 Rhynchosia vendae Insufficiently Known

144 Sartidia jucunda Known Insufficiently

145 Schizagyrium brevi- olium Not threatened

146 Siphonochilus aethio- picus Endangered

147 Stadmania oppositifolia Rare

148 Stapelia clavicorona Vulnerable

149 Streptocarpus decipiens Rare

150 Strophanthus kombe Not threatened

151 Strophanthus luteolus Rare

152 Sutera macrantha (Now Jamesbrittenia macrantha) Insufficiently Known

153 Tarenna zygoon Not threatened

154 Thorncroftia media Insufficiently Known

155 Trilepisium madagas- cariense Not threatened

156 Tristachya trifaria Not threatened

157 Turbina shirensis Not threatened

158 Turbina stenosiphon Not threatened

159 Vanwykia remota Not threatened

160 Warburgia salutaris Endangered

161 Watsonia transvaalensis Rare

162 Watsonia wilmsii Rare

163 Xerodermis stuhlmannii Not threatened

164 Xylia torreana Not threatened

165 Xylopia odoratissima Not threatened

166 Xylopia parviflora Not threatened

167 Zantedeschia jucunda Indeterminate

168 Zantedeschia pentlandii Rare

22


169 Zantho.rylum leprieurii Not threatened

170 Zoutpansbergia caerulea (now - Callilepis caerulea) Not threatened

23


Appendix E: Medicinal plants utilized in Limpopo 69, 75 and 84

Scientific Name Common Name Use

Adansonia digitata Baobab For fever, diarrhoea, and spitting of blood.

Aloe marlothii Marloth’s Aloe Popular in snuff mixtures

Trichilia dregeana Forest Mahogany Enemas, treating kidney pain, stomach problems and back ache.

Trichilia emetica Natal Mahogany Applied to bruises and eczema. Oil for rheumatism.

Peltophorum africana Weeping Wattle Treat sore throats, abdominal pain, nausea, chest pain, venereal diseases and blood purification.

Tabanaemontana elegans Toad Tree Roots used for chest problems.

Heteromopha arborescens Parsely Tree Root infusion to treat scrofula, abdominal pains and colic.

Annona senegalensis Wild custard-apple

Fruit edible. Root infusion to treat dizziness, and used as an emetic.

Cobretum molle Velvet Bushwillow Antidote for snake bite. Reduce fever in children. Treat intestinal worms, etc.

Terminalia sericea Silver Clusterleaf Colic, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, pneumonia etc

Parinari curatellifolia Mobola Plum Root infusion for toothache.

Albizia tanganyicensis Used to treat skin disorders.

Colophospermum mopane Mopane Diarrhoea, stop bleeding, constipation.

Schotia brachypetala Weeping Boer-Bean

Bark used for heartburn, habgover, nervous disorder and diarrhoea. Also for ulcers.

Cassia abbreviata Sjambok Pod Root bark for laxative, treat backache. Also as aphrodisiac.

Xanthocercis zambeziaca Nyala Tree Fruits used for meal.

24


Mundulea sericea Cork Bush Bark used to treat poisoning, and used in rituals.

Pterocarpus angolensis Erythrina lysistemon Coral Tree Leave threat sores,

Infusion of leaves for relieve earache and toothache.

Kirkia acuminata White Seringa Powdered roots to treat toothache.

Securidaca longipedunculata Violet Tree Roots used for contraceptives, constipation, headache, toothache, backache etc

Securinega virosa White-berry bush Infusion of leaves taken with meat broth for malaria. Roots treat snakebites.

Bridelia mollis Velvet bridelia Fruits are edible. Croton megalobotrys Large Feverberry Use for purgative and

fever. Seeds and bark for malaria – cure for fever, etc

Croton sylvaticus Forest Feverberry Bark used for abdominal pain, inflammation, swellings and uterine problems.

Spirostachys africana Tamboti Poisonous – stems used as fish poison.

Synadenium cupulare Dead-man’s tree Said to be evil by rural communities.

Sclerocarya birrea Marula Fruits used to make jams, jelly, syrup and alcoholic beverages.

Lannea stuhlmannii False Maroela Leave paste applied to sores, boils, abscesses. Bark used to alleviate headache and stomachpain.

Lannea edulis Wild Grape Sore eyes, boils and abscesses.

Ozoroa reticulata Currant resin tree Rhus lancea Karree Fruits used to make

beer. Maytenus senegalensis Confetti bush Root infusion used to

cure chest pains. Catha edulis Bushman’s Tea Infusion of leaves for

coughs, asthma, colds, flu, obesity and

25


menstrual cramps. Khat is chewed as a mild stimulant.

Pappea capensis Jacket-plum Fruit are used for jelly, jam and vinegar. Leaf infusion treats sore eyes. Seed oil treat ringworm.

Ziziphus mucronata Buffalo Thorn Ripe fruits used for making beer. Leaf infusions treat fever, malaria, eye diseases and diarrhoea in children.

Dombeya rotundifolia Common wild pear

Bark infusions treat weak heart, intestinal ulceration, palpitations, nausea, irregular menstruation, stomach ailments etc.

Bequaertiodendron magalismontanum

- Fruits used for jelly, and jams.

Mimusops zeyheri Transvaal red milkwood

Fruits eaten. Rich in vitamin C.

Diospyros mespiliformis Jackal-berry Beer and brandy made from fermented fruit. Bark extract treats bruises and wounds.

Euclea divinorum Magic guarri Root infusion treats earache and headaches. Oil from roots used to treat convulsions etc.

Acokanthera oppositifolia Common poison-bush

All parts of plant toxic. Used as arrow head poison.

Clerodendrum glabrum Tinderwood Leaf infusion treats intestinal parasites, taken for coughs, fever, sore throats and chest complaints.

Kigelia africana Sausage Tree Dried, powdered fruits treat abscesses, ulcers, sores and venereal diseases.

Commmiphora merkeri Zebra-bark commiphora

Used to treat skin disorders.

Acridocarpus natalitius Moth fruit Used in an ointment to safeguard warriors in

26


battle. Elephantorrhiza burkei Elandsbean Diarrhoea, dysentry,

stomach disorders, haemorrhoids, etc.

Maerua edulis Cassia pietersiana Monkey pod Used as a purgative and

to treat fevers. Bridelia micrantha Mitzeeri Roots used to treat

stomach complaints, leaf sap for sore eyes. Etc.

Wrightia natalensis Saddle pod Roots and bark used as aphrodisiacs.

Ximenia americana Small sourplum Bark used to treat infant maladies.

Ximenia caffra Sourplum Roots and bark used for numerous ailments, including; infertility, venereal disease, abdominal pain, cramps etc.

Cassine transvaalensis Transvaal Saffron Stomach cleanser, enema for stomach ache and fever.

Celtis africana White Stink Wood Used extensively for household appliances

Diospyros lycioides Bluebush Twigs and roots used for chewing sticks. Root provide dye.

Senecio barbertonicus - Cuts, swellings, sores and burns.

Cassia italica - - Xerophyta retinervis Monkey’s Tail Roots smoked for

asthma, or to stop nose bleeding.

Dichrostachys cinerea Sickle bush Leaves used for diarrhoea, toothache, earache, snake-bite, head-colds and TB, etc.

Cucumus zeyheri - - Momordica balsamina - - Hypoxis obutusa Iris Corm infusions used as

emetic to treat dizziness, bladder disorders, and insanity.

Hypoxis hemerocallidea As above Rhynchosia spectabilis Shaggy bush -

27


Appendix F: Endemic / near-endemic succulents 70

Wolkberg Centre: Representative endemic / near-endemic succulents Amaryllidaceae Haemanthus pauculifolius Asclepiadaceae Aspidonepsis shebae Brachystelma minor Brachystelma pachypodium Brachystelma parvulum Huernia insigniflora Orbeopsis gerstneri subsp. elongata Dracaenaceae Dracaena transvaalensis Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia barnardii Euphorbia excelsa Euphorbia grandialata Euphorbia restricta Lamiaceae Plectranthus dolomiticus Thorncroftia media Liliaceace Aloe alooides Aloe dolomitica Aloe fouriei Aloe minima var blyderivierensis Aloe monotropa Aloe nubigena Aloe thompsoniae Gasteria batesiana var dolomitica Sekhukhune Centre: Representative endemic / near-endemic succulents Asclepiadaceae Huernia stapelioides Huerniopsis atrosanguinea Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia enormis

28


Euphorbia maleolens Euphorbia sekukuniensis Lamiaceae Plectranthus venteri Liliaceae Aloe burgerfortensis Aloe castanea Aloe cryptopoda Aloe fosteri Aloe immaculate Aloe mutans Aloe reitzii var reitzii Aloe wickensii var lutea Aloe wickensii var wickensii Passifloraceae Adenia fruticosa subsp fruticosa Soutpansberg Centre: Representative endemic / near-endemic succulents Asclepiadaceae Huenia nouhuysii Huernia procumbens Huernia whitesloaneana Orbeanthus conjunctus Orbeanthus hardyi Stapelia clavicorona Tylophora coddii Crassulaceae Kalanchoe crundalli Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia aeruginosa Euphorbia rowlandii Euphorbia sp. nov Euphorbia zoutpansbergensis Liliaceae Aloe angelica Aloe petrophila Aloe Soutpansbergnsis Aloe vogtsii Aloe vossii Loranthaceae Onocalyx bolusii Mesembryanthemaceae Delosperma zoutpansbergensis Khadia borealis Orchidaceae

29


Mystacidium braybonae

30


Appendix G: Indigenous fish species of Limpopo from Skelton (2001) 8

SPECIES ABREV. ENGLISH COMMON NAME

Amphilius natalensis Anat Natal mountain catfish Amphilius uranoscopus Aura Common mountain catfish Anguilla mossambica Amos Longfin eel Anguilla bicolor bicolor Abic Shortfin eel Anguilla bengalensis labiata Aben African mottled eel Anguilla marmorata Amar Madagascar mottled eel Aplochielichthys johnstoni Ajoh Johnston's topminnow Aplochielichthys katangae Akat Striped topminnow Barbus afrohamiltoni Bafr Hamilton's barb Barbus annectens Bann Broadstriped barb Barbus anoplus Bano Chubbyhead barb Barbus bifrenatus Bbif Hyphen barb Barbus brevipinnis Bbre Shortfin barb Barbus eutaenia Beut Orangefin barb Barbus lineomaculatus Blin Line-spotted barb Barbus mattozi Bmat Papermouth Barbus neefi Bnee Sidespot barb Barbus pallidus Bpal Goldie barb Barbus paludinosus Bpau Straightfin barb Barbus radiatus Brad Beira barb Barbus toppini Btop East coast barb Barbus trimaculatus Btri Threespot barb Barbus unitaeniatus Buni Longbeard barb Barbus viviparus Bviv Bowstripe barb Brycinus imberi Bimb Imberi Chetia flaviventris Cfla Canary kurper Chiloglanis anoterus Cano Pennant-tailed rock catlet Chiloglanis paratus Cpar Sawfin rock catlet Chiloglanis pretoriae Cpre Shortspine rock catlet Chiloglanis swierstrai Cswi Lowveld rock catlet Clarias gariepinus Cgar Sharptooth catfish Clarias theodorae Cthe Snake catfish Glossogobius callidus Gcal River goby Glossogobius giuris Ggiu Tank goby Hydrocynus vittatus Hvit Tigerfish Labeo congoro Lcon Purple labeo Labeo cylindricus Lcyl Redeye labeo Labeo molybdinus Lmol Leaden labeo Labeo rosae Lros Rednose labeo Labeo ruddi Lrud Silver labeo Labeobarbus marequensis Lmar Largescale yellowfish Labeobarbus polylepis Lpol Smallscale yellowfish

31


Marcusenius macrolepidotus Mmac Bulldog Mesobola brevianalis Mbre River sardine Micralestes acutidens Macu Silver robber Opsaridium peringueyi Oper Southern barred minnow Oreochromis mossambicus Omos Mozambique tilapia Petrocephalus wesselsi Pwes Churchill Pseudocrenilabrus philander Pphi Southern mouthbrooder Schilbe intermedius Sint Silver catfish Serranochromis meridianus Smer Lowveld largemouth Synodontis zambezensis Szam Brown squeaker Tilapia rendalli Tren Redbreast tilapia Tilapia sparrmanii Tspa Banded tilapia

32


Appendix H: Provincial heritage resources 79

DISTRICT TYPE NAME STATUS Soutpansberg National Monument Buysdorp Soutpansberg National Monument Stonehenge (15 March

1985) Private residence

Soutpansberg Historical site Meeting Place between Louis Trichardt and Portuguese Askaris

Soutpansberg Archeaological Site Tshiendeulu Soutpansberg National Monument Lemana College Soutpansberg National Monument Dzata Ruins (29 June

1938)

Soutpansberg National Monument Elim Hospital Soutpansberg National Monument Schoemansdal Museum

(23 July 1976)

Soutpansberg National Monument Fort Hendrina (23 April 1971)

Soutpansberg Soutpansberg

Archeological Site/ National Monument

Machemma Ruins

Soutpansberg Historical site Valdezia Mission Station

Soutpansberg Natural heritage and Spiritual Site

Lake Fundudzi

Soutpansberg Historical site Happy Rest Nebo North District Natural heritage of

significance Lobethal Mountain

Nebo North District Natural heritage/ cultural significance (Cave)

Bohwela Batho (Mokholo Mountain)

Cultural Significance

Nebo North District Natural heritage/ Cultural significant site

Magukubjane Mountain

Nebo North District Natural heritage/ cultural significance

Rakgomo Still used today for church services

Nebo North District Natural heritage/ cultural signaificance

Dibeng


Yhabeng ya barwa


Motaganeng

Nebo North District Cultural heritage/ archaeological site

Mahlahlakwane and Modimo

Nebo North District Cultural significance/ archaeological site

Hlouwaneng and Podingwane

Nebo North District Archaeological site/ cultural significance

Kgonokwane and Mohlatseng


Mmatshipi

Mokopane District Historical site Homesleigh –Radloff Mill

Mill is still in fair condition (1994)

Mokopane District National Monument (20 October 1989)

Old Stone School: Arend Dieperink Museum Voortekker

33


Road Mokopane District Natural heritage/

National Monument (31 August 1938)

Makapansgat Caves

Mokopane District National Monument (22 February 1974); Archaeological site

Makapansgat Limeworks and Cave of the Horse’s Mandible

Mokopane District Archaeological Sites Cave of hearths and adjacent Hyaena cave

Mokopane District Archaeological Site Historic Cave of Makapansgat

Mokopane District Archaeological Site Rainbow Cave Mokopane District Archaeological Site/

Natural heritage Peppercorn’s Cave

Mokopane District Archaeological site; Natural heritage

Ficus Cave and Ficus Iron Age Site

Mokopane District Archaeological Site Buffalo Cave Mokopane District Historical site Class 19D Locomotive Mokopane District Natural Feature with

historical significance Anna Tress; Rietfontien, Mokeng

Mokopane District National Monument (19 January 1940)

Moordrift

Zebediela and Sekhukuneland District

Historical site Migration Route of Louis Trichardt (Pienaarsnek and Strydpoort)


Commercial feature Zebediela Citrus Estate


Natural heritage Magnet Height: Geological Occurrence


National Monument (27 December 1985); Natural heritage

Merensky Reef: Maandagshoek

Polokwane District Museum Hugh Exton Photographic Museum

Polokwane District Museum Bakone Malapa Open Air Museum

Polokwane District National Monument (7 March 1985)

The Irish House

Polokwane District Museum Art Museum Polokwane District National Monument (29

June 1938) First Gold Power Plant Site at Eersteling

Polokwane District National Monument Louis Trichart Monument

Polokwane District Historical site Le Roux Ville (cemetry) Unprotected and in poor condition

Polokwane District National Monument Fort Klipdam Polokwane District National Monument (27

January 1938) British Fort

Matlala District Historical site Bokone Nature Reserve Matlala District Natural heritage/

Cultural Site Matlala Tribe Cultural Sites

Matlala District Cultural significance/ Archaeological site

Mochoane Peak (Matlala Mountain Range)

34


Matlala District Grave Site Ben Koka Grave Matlala District Old buildings Old Police Station at

Chloe 2

Matlala District Natural heritage Baobab Tree at Ga Nong

Phalaborwa District National Monument Leydsdorp Phalaborwa District National Monument (20

November 1970) Kgopolwe Koppie Iron Age Site

Phalaborwa District National Monument (20 November 1970)

Sealeng Iron Age Site

Phalaborwa District Archaeological Site Masorini Iron Age Site Ellis Ras/Marapong District

Historical site Hoornbosch

Ellis Ras/Marapong District

Historical site Farmhouse on Farm gelyk, Ellisras


Historical site Farmhouse on the Farm Hoornbosch, Ellisras


Historical site Causeway at Hoornbosch, Ellisras


Historical site School Building on the farm Waterkloof, Ellisras

Waterberg/Bel-Bela District

National Monument (17 October 1975)

Old Reformed Church Building


Natural heritage Anna Tree


National Monument (10 January 1975)

Strijdom House Museum


Natural heritage Modimolle Mountain


Historical site Rooiberg Tin Mines


National Monument (25 September 1959)

Blockhouse (Bela-bela)

Bochum District Historical site Helen Franz Hospital Bochum District Archaeological site Millbank Archaeological

Site

Bochum District Archaeological site Randjies Letaba District Archaeological Site Janetsi Dam Letaba District Archaeological Site Shilowa Costini Site Letaba District National Monument Old Post Office,

Tzaneen

Letaba District Natural heritage Ofcolaco -Clivia Letaba District Archaeological Sites Silver Leaves Letaba District Museum Westfalia Estates Letaba District Natural heritage Broodbome: Bolobedu Letaba District Historical site Modjadji Kraal Letaba District Historical site Shiluvane Mission Letaba District Mueum Tsonga Kraal Museum Letaba District Natural heritage Donkerkloof Letaba District Natural heritage Wolkberg Caves Letaba District National Monument (17

August 1984) Mapangubwe

Mussina District National Monument (15 March 1972)

Fossilised footprints

Mussina District Natural heritage/ Archaeological site

Skirbeck

Mussina District Archaeological/ cultural Werkplaas

35


significance Mussina District Archaeological site Kromdraai Mussina District Archaeological site Strayt Mussina District National Monument (27

January 1938) Verdun Ruins

Mussina District Archaeological site Thulamela Mussina District National Monument (19

June 1936) Baobab trees

36


Appendix I: Descriptive inventory of provincial heritage sites 79

SOUTPANSBERG DISTRICT BUYSDORP

Buysdorp has been declared as National Monument. It is situated on the R522 road to

Vivo, a settlement where the descendants of the patriarch Coenraad du Buys lived.

President Paul Kruger allotted this area to the Buys community in 1888. It includes the

farm Kalkoven as well as the surrounding farms up to 1000 hectares. This territory,

known as Mara, is still occupied by the Buys community today.

STONEHEGE ON THE FARM BERGVLIET : 288 LS

This site is located in Snyman Street in Makhado and was declared as National

Monument on 15 March 1985. It is a private residence with an interior, and building

style dating back to the 18th century.

PLACE OF MEETING BETWEEN LOUIS TRIEGARDT & PORTUGUESE ASKARI'S

While Louis Trichardt was in the vicinity of the Soutpansberg he made contact with

the Portuguese at Lourenco Marques. In 1837 the district governor of Lourenco

Marques sent two Askari's or black soldiers, accompanied by Gabriel-Buys and some

Knopneuse (Shangaans) to Louis Trichardt in the Soutpansberg. The Askaris were to

accompany Trichardt and his people to Lourenco Marques. To mark the historic

place where Louis Trichardt met the two Askaris, a bronze plate and beacon was

erected.

TSHIENDEULU

An archaeological site dating back to the Iron Age period. The site has not yet been

declared as National Monument. Tshiendeulu consist of ruins that were the original

settlement of the Shi-Venda Royalty before their migration to Dzata.

LEMANA COLLEGE

Lemana College is a newly proclaimed National Monument near the Elim Hospital. It

was established in 1908, and is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the

area, which also produced prominent leaders.

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DZATA RUINS

The Dzata ruins are situated between Makhado and Thohoyandou. This site was

declared a National Monument on 29 June 1938. The site consists of the remains of

the old capital of the chiefs of the Venda people dating back to 1400 AD.

ELIM HOSPITAL

The Elim Hospital is soon to be declared as a National Monument. It is located east of

Makhado and it is the oldest Medical institution in the Limpopo Province, established

in 1898.

SCHOEMANSDAL MUSEUM

Declared as National Monument on 23 July 1978. It is an open air museum situated

approximately 17 km west of Makhado. The settlement originally known as

Zoutpansberg or Oudedorp, was established by pioneer leaders Louis Trichardt and

Andries Potgieter. In 1855 the settlement was renamed in honour of Stefanus

Schoeman, successor of General Andries Potgieter, and became known as

Schoemansdal, and was rebuilt to the north of the original settlement. Schoemansdal

was a progressive town with a mild climate and trade took place with products from

hunting activities such as ivory, with enough water and grazing for their livestock and

yellow wood trees to make furniture. The reconstruction of the first settlement, which

now serves as a reconstructed open air museum, illustrates the lifestyle of the pioneers

between 1848 and 1852. Domestic animals such as Nguni cattle, Pedi sheep, goats

and pigs can be seen. The grave of Voortrekker leader Andries Hendrik Potgieter can

be seen in the cemetery. A large variety of pioneer structures can be seen at the

museum such as the well known "hartbees" house. The museum collection consists of

some 2500 pieces.

FORT HENDRINA

It was declared as National Monument on 23 April 1971. It consists of a Collapsible

steel Fort used during 1887 as protection for 25 artillery men and later 100 mounted

police. Each time the fort was relocated, the name was changed. Fort Hendrina

was named after Kmdt-genl Piet Joubert’s wife, Hendrina Joubert. Fort Hendrina is

situated in Erasmus street, next to the library in Makhado.

MACHEMMA RUINS. SOLVENT

The ruins are an archaeological site that was declared as a National Monument on

22 January 1965. The site is located 20 km north west of the Waterpoort Station, on a

private farm off the Mopane road. The ruins are believed to have belonged to the

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Shi -Venda people, and illustrate an unmistakable affinity with the Great Zimbabwean

ruins.

VALDEZIA MISSION STATION

This is the first settlement of the Swiss Missionaries in the north which became the

cradle of development in the area. The Valdezia Mission station was established in

1875 by two theological students namely, Henri Bertroud and Ernest Cruex. The work

was part of the Swiss Mission evangelical work aimed at touching Southern Africa with

the Word of God. "Valdezia" was named after "Vaud" canton in Switzerland. The farm

"Klipfontein” was bought from Mr. Watt for this purpose. The aim of the Swiss

Missionaries, was to evangelize the Shangaan people. It is soon to be declared as

National Monument.

FUNDUDZI

Natural and spiritual site of importance. Lake Fundudzi is situated in the upper

catchment of the Mutale River, on the R523 between Sibasa and Fondwe, inside

Thate Vondo forest. It is a sacred lake where, according to Venda legend, a white

crocodile lives. This lake is unique in Africa due to the fact that it has been formed by

a landslide. The northern bank of the Mutale River was undercut by the eroding river

and then collapsed into the river valley, creating a lake behind it with an

underground outlet. When the lake is full it is more than 3 km long and more than half

a km wide with a maximum depth of 27 m.

HAPPY REST

The name of Happy Rest is derived from the Happy Rest culture of the Soutpansberg

area. It is an early Iron Age site dating back to approximately 300 - 600 A.D. Cycads

are also present on this reserve.

NEBO NORTH DISTRICT

LOBETHAL MOUNTAIN

At the Lobethal Mountain, situated near the Phaahla and Marishane villages, a

human settlement and their activities have been studied. Stonewalls were erected

around the mountain with steps at the bottom of these walls which were used as the

entrance to the wells. There are large rocks with caves within these walls. Rock art is

present within these caves. Included on the site is a large rock estimated at about 35

m in height with a fountain at the top of this rock. Steps have been constructed to

climb the rock while other large rocks were used for milling and cooking. Stonewalls

39


which were used as kraals for livestock were also found. Huge rocks where one can

sit comfortably where one can see the nearby villages such as Phaahla, Marishane,

Masbabel and Moloi are present. Included amongst the artefacts are clay pots.

Ancient forefathers hid here during tribal attacks.

BOHWELA BATHO (Mokholo Mountain)

The site consists of a large cave that is believed to contain miracles. Other caves

which have been used as shelter in the past are found in the vicinity of this cave.

Ancient people have been brutally murdered by fire and by assegais. This is evident

in the bodies of 21 people that were found in the cave.

MAGUKUBJANE MOUNTAIN

The Makubjane Mountain is surrounded by a series of beautiful walls which were used

as a place of refuge. There is a division of rooms and entrances inside these walls.

Numerous large rocks occur on the site and are occupied by wild animals such as

Rock Hyrax, Pole-cats and Caracal. Artefacts such as grinding stones and pieces of

clay pots and numerous other objects indicate that the place had been inhabited

previously.

RAKGOMO

This is a large cave that has been used for religious purposes. Church services are still

held inside. Numerous mementoes made by members of the Lutheran Church occur

in the cave.

DIBENG

The site consists of a little mountain surrounded by beautiful walls. Numerous caves

and entrances are present within the walls. A natural spring is located in the vicinity

of the site where animals drink during the rainy season.

YHABENG YA BARWA

The name Yhabeng Barwa, means; “People of Phaala". Various animal species are

found like; baboons, monkeys, rock hyrax, springbuck, polecats, galagos, etc. as well

as birds such as partridge, ravens, eagles, quails and others are also present. Clay

pot hearths surrounded by walls have been found under the overhang of these rocks

MOTAGANENG

Various walls and caves are present in the Motageng Mountain. The people of the

Phaahla tribe had dwellings here. The large rocks are occupied by monkeys and rock

40


hyrax.

MAHLAHLAKWANE AND MODIMO

The Mahlahlakwane and Modimo mountains contain large rocks with caves. Milling

stones, hearths, ashes, pieces of broken clay pots, precipices, graves and rotten

bones have been discovered in the caves.

HLOUWANENG AND PODINGWANE

The Hlouwaneng and Podingwane Mountains contain rocks with caves with similar

artefacts as the ones found on the other mountain sites in the rest of the Limpopo

Province.

KGONOKWANE AND MOHLATSENG

Is the mountain where the Phaahla tribe dwelled 294 years ago. An open field at the

foot of these mountains indicate agricultural activities in this area. The kraals and

stone walls that were constructed are still visible and artefacts such as milling stones

and clay pots are also present.

MMATSHIPI

The Mmatshipi Mountain is surrounded by large stone walls that protect the caves

below. An interesting feature of the site, are the stones that sound like bells when

they are struck.

MOKOPANE DISTRICT

HOLMESLEIGH - RADLOFF - MILL: 1922 - 1980

The mill was originally situated in the town of Mokopane. The mill was erected after

the Anglo-Boer War by Mr. Fritz Radloff. His son, Mr. Boet Radloff relocated the mill in

1922 to the farm Holmesleigh that belongs to the Radloff family. The farm was

purchased from Mr. Gadda whose old stone house was also erected after the Anglo-

Boer War adjacent to the mill. The Radloff mill was the first roller mill that was

operated by a Wolsely engine and a large flywheel in Mokopane district. The mill has

not yet been declared as a National Monument.

OLD STONE SCHOOL: AREND DIEPERINK MUSEUM VOORTREKKER ROAD

The old stone school is situated in Mokopame. The museum is housed in a old stone

school, in Voortrekker Road, that was completed in 1917. The museum depicts the

history of Mokopame. It has a collection of approximately 18645 pieces.

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The stone school was declared a National Monument on 20 October 1989 and is of

great cultural and architectural value, and represents an example of school

architecture of the early 1920's.

MAKAPANSGAT CAVES

The Makapansgat Valley caves site is situated on the farm Makapansgat,

approximately 19 km east-north-east of Mokopane. It was proclaimed as National

Monument on 31 August 1993. The Makapansgat Valley is unique due to the

preservation of sediments, fossils and archaeological remains, a record of occupation

and resource exploitation extending from australopithecine (ape-man) time about

3.32 million years ago. This evidence forms the foundation of the South African

prehistoric sequence. Nowhere else within the confines of a single valley can such an

extended and complete record of hominid activity be observed. The most important

sites in the valley are:

1. The Makapansgat Limeworks and adjacent "Cave of the Horse's Mandible"

This site is the oldest of all the sites, spanning the time range of about 3.3.2 BC to

about 1,6 BC.

The Makapansgat Limeworks site, which was declared a National Monument on 22

February 1974, has yielded hundreds of thousands of fossil bones amongst which were

found the remains of the gracile (lightly-built, smaller) australopithecine

(Australopithecus africanus).

2. The Cave of hearths and adjacent "hyena Cave"

The Cave of Hearths preserves the stone tools and other debris left by early man who

first occupied the site at around 250 000 BC. The overlying beds preserve an

intermittent but extremely long record of human occupation, from +- 100 000 - 50 000

BC and again from 10 000 - 5 000 BC, and from iron age times to the present century.

It appears that between 200 000 BC and 100 000 BC the COH was not occupied.

Fossils from the adjacent "Hyena Cave" where the sediment infill is of greater age,

suggest affinities with the Limeworks via occurrence of the remains of similar primitive

hyenas at both sites.

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3. The Historic Cave of Makapansgat

The Historic Cave lies immediately adjacent to the COH and preserves Iron age and

Mfecane relics. The famous scene depicting the clash between a Boer Commando

and local Langa and Ndebele people increases the historic importance of the cave.

Chief Makapan (Mokopane), together with a large number of his tribes, people and

their livestock were besieged in the cave for approximately one month between 25

October and 18 November 1854.

4. The Rainbow Cave

The Rainbow Cave lies immediately below the eastern chamber of the Historic Cave

and contains the remains of several hearth, distinguished as different coloured ash

and sediment horizons, hence the name of this little "cave". The Rainbow Cave

represents the lower part of the infill of the eastern chamber of the Historic Cave. The

exposed sediments have yielded Middle Stone Age artefacts of the Polokwane

culture, in the age range of +-100 000-50 000BP. The COH and Hyenas Cave, Historic

Cave and Rainbow Cave together from part of a single interconnected large cavern

complex, different portions of which were open to the surface and available for

occupation during different periods.

5. Peppercorn's Cave

The cave contains Iron Age and recent relics, and an underground lake which Mr

Peppercorn utilizes as a source of water. It is also home to a large colony of

migratory long-fingered bats. (Miniopteris schreibersii)

6. Ficus Cave and the Ficus Iron Age Site

The cave contains Iron Age and 19th Century relics, a large bat colony and an

underground lake of fluctuating depth. An Iron Age site in the saddle between the

Ficus Cave ridge and a small isolated hillock directly opposite the entrance, preserves

occupational debris dating from +- 550 AD (early Iron age), to -870 ADI and 1560 AD,

as well as relics of Late Iron Age inhabitants who used the site prior to white settler

occupation. The slopes adjacent to the saddle are artificially terraced containing

archaeological finds.

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7. Buffalo' Cave

A small collection of fossils were removed from the breccia of this remnant cave in

1937 by Dr R Broom. The breccia has yielded the remains of an extinct fossil buffalo.

The cave has not well surrounded and its contents remain undated.

CLASS 19D LOCOMOTIVE

The class 19D locomotive can be seen from the N1 highway to Polokwane, north of

Mokopane. The locomotive was manufactured in Germany and in the early 1930’s

this giant contributed to the economical development of the North. In 1980 the

locomotive was donated to the Town Council of Mokopane and has not yet been

declared as a National Monument.

ANA TREE; RIETFONTEIN, MOKENG

These trees, better known as Acacia albida, are situated in the Makapans area. This

site was declared a National Monument on 28/10/49. There are approximately 8

large trees ranging between 18 and 24 meters high. The largest of these trees is 6

meters in diameter. According to Galpin’s work "Timber Trees of the Springbok Flats",

David Livingstone camped under these trees on one of his expeditions.

MOORDDRIFT

This historical site was declared as a National Monument on 19 January 1940. The

Moorddrift monument was built in 1937 near the Nylsriver, approximately eleven

kilometres south of Mokopane, in memory of those people killed by the followers of

Makapan in October 1854. Two Camel-thorn trees are part of the monument. The

one tree is presently kept at the Arend Dieperink Museum, were it can be seen.

ZEBEDIELA AND SEKHUKHUNELAND DISTRICT

MIGRATION ROUTE OF LOUIS TRICHARDT

Approximately eight kilometres, north of Zebediela from the Gompies dam, lies

Pienaarsnek and further on is Strydpoort. Early pioneers such as Trichardt, Andre

Potgieter, Lang Hans van Rensburg and Andries Ohrig went through the Pienaarsnek

on their route to the north. On a cairn, to commemorate the history of the vicinity a

bronze plate was erected.

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ZEBEDIELA CITRUS ESTATE

Zebediela is situated approximately 45 km east of Mokopame, is one of the largest

citrus estates in the southern hemisphere. The estate is managed by the Limpopo

Province Development Corporation.

MAGNET HEIGHT: GEOLOGICAL OCCURRENCE

Numerous magnetic bands occur in the rocks of the Bushveld Igneous Complex,

which occupies the Central & Western Transvaal. These bands can be traced on the

surface for long distances. The western band extends from north of Pretoria to the

north of Rustenburg, where it swings to south of Thabazimbi. The eastern magnetite

bands crop out from west of Belfast northwards past Roossenekal and Magnet

Heights. The igneous rocks of the Bushveld Complex constitute a structure, which is

basin shape in cross section. The magnetite bands extend underground everywhere,

with dip angles which are centripetal toward the deeply hidden basin centre, usually

at 100 - 250 from the horizontal. The iron mineral present is mainly magnetite. The

main drawback of these ores is the relatively high titanium content, which

necessitates very expensive blast-furnace processes.

MERENSKY REEF: MAANDAGSHOEK

The famous Merensky Reef (named after the geologist Dr. Hans Merensky) varies

between 30 cm and 50 cm in thickness. The pyroxenite in it is extremely coarse-

grained (pegmatitic) and also contains chromitite bands. The concentration of

platinum metals is the most the top or the bottom of the reef. The Merensky Reef is

exposed on the surface in the basic portion of the Bushveld Complex for 115 km in

the western part and 96 km in the eastern part. The eastern occurrence can be

traced from east of Zebediela across the Olifants river, swinging towards a point west

of Burgersfort and continuing to north of Dullstroom. The most important alloys of

platinum are those with iridium, which has been found in the Merensky Reef. Platinum

is a greyish-white metal which is malleable, ductile and chemically inactive, is used in

alloys for making laboratory utensils, electric wires and contact points, standard

weights and foils. It is a catalytic agent and thus used in the petroleum industry. This

site was declared a national monument on 27 December 1985.

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POLOKWANE DISTRICT

HUGH EXTON PHOTOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

The nationally renowned local photographer, Hugh Exton, captured the first 50 years

of Polokwane on 23 000 glass negatives. The prints of some of these delicate

negatives unlock the events of the years gone by, in a magnificent and intuiting way.

BAKONE MALAPA OPEN AIR MUSEUM

The Bakone Malapa open air museum is a Northern Sotho open-air museum and was

officially opened in 1985 and "Blessed" by the Rituals of the Bakone tribe. Here the

traditional way of life of the Bakone lives on not withstanding the influence of the

modern age. In each of the lapas as well as the kgoro, demonstrations of handcrafts

tell a story of the Bakone civilization

THE IRISH HOUSE (Polokwane )

The Irish House was declared as National Monument on 7 March 1985. The business

was started in August 1886 by J.H. Moschke on the corner of Vorster and Market

Street. In 1906 a fire destroyed the whole of Market street as well as Moschke's shop.

Moschke imported a prefabricated steel structure from Germany with which to

rebuild his shop. The building included a bell tower. Today it is a museum that

portrays the local history.

THE ART MUSEUM

The growing collection of more than 600 pieces is the most extensive municipal

collection outside the well-known art centres in the country. Polokwane boasts the

most per capital sculptures per square area in the South Africa.

FIRST GOLD POWER PLANT SITE AT EERSTELING

The first gold power plant site at Eersteling was declared as National Monument on 29

June 1938. Approximately 29km north of Mokopame along the road to Polokwane is

the farm Eersteling, where the first gold ore mine in the former Transvaal was

established. The flat slab of rock that was used to crush the ore is still visible.

LOUIS TRICHARDT MONUMENT

The Louis Trichardt monument is located left of the N1-national road, 6 km to the north

of Polokwane. The monument indicates the route the pioneer Louis Trichardt took on

46


his way to Lourenco Marques.

LE ROUX VILLE (CEMETERY)

This is an old graveyard situated along the new Polokwane/Seshego road, next to

Place of Safety, centre for the disadvantaged children. It is believed to be older than

60 years and people from both Seshego and Polokwane were buried there. It is

currently unprotected and in a poor condition. Protection of this area as a

monument is encouraged.

FORT KLIPDAM

Declared as National Monument. As a result of conflict and the lack of laws under

white rule, the inhabitants of the area became suspicious, the pioneers were forced

to build a fort on the farm Klipdam in the district of Polokwane, for their own

protection. Conditions deteriorated when the president tried to adjure the pioneers.

The walls of the fort were made of soil. Over many years the soil eroded and the old

fort filled with soil. To indicate where the fort was, a bronze plaque was erected in

1948.

BRITISH FORT

This fort was one of seven forts of the British garrison. The fort is on the farm Zandriver

at Marabastad, east of the national road, a few kilometres south of Polokwane. In

1954 the name Marabastad was changed to Eerstegoud in memory of Edward

Button the person who found the first gold near Eersteling in 1871. The Fort was

declared as a National Monument on 27 January 1938.

MATLALA DISTRICT BAKONE NATURE RESERVE: MATLALA AREA

Here are 7 to 12 unnamed graves in this reserve. Information obtained indicated that

there was once a village/or settlement in the reserve.

MATLALA TRIBE CULTURAL SITES

One mountain peak in the Matlala area is regarded as sacred by the locals and only

one family of the Bakone (Kgomo) people are allowed to climb the mountain, who is

always a male first born. Soil on top of the peak is regarded as sacred and is

believed to have healing powers.

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MOCHOANE PEAK (MATLALA MOUNTAIN RANGE)

A calabash has been placed at a small fountain at the peak of this range. The origin

of it is unknown. There are eroded chalkpits on the mountain from which locals

collect soil to paint their homes.

BEN KOKA GRAVE

Ben Koka is reported to have been a freedom fighter who died in 1986. He was

allegedly killed by police for actively taking part in organising youth in the area to

stand against unfair treatment by the local Headman.

OLD POLICE STATION AT CHLOE II

The station was built in 1956 and consists of 15 rondavels which were used as cells.

BAOBAB TREE AT GA NONQ

The tree has spiritual significance to the local communities, which include praying to

ancestors, and to cut the bark for muthi. It is alleged this big tree has strong healing

powers.

PHALABORWA DISTRICT

LEYDSDORP

The Murchison range ises from the bush-covered lowveld. During the last century it

was considered remote and sinister and cursed with malaria fever, relentless heat

and wild animals. In 1870 Edward Button and James Sutherland prospected the

area and found gold traces in several streams in the range which was subsequently

named after the British geologist, Sir Roderick Murchison. The findings were not

payable, but in 1888 new discoveries attracted a considerable rush of prospectors

and the entire range was pegged out into claims, with dozens of little mines started.

Among these men was a man known as French Bob, whose camp became a

veritable epicentre of activity and disturbance in the Murchison Range. Pres. Paul

Kruger proclaimed the area on 28 August 1889 as the Selati-Gold fields in order to

have government control. In 1890 the site of French Bob's camp was laid out as a

town and named Leydsdorp in honour of the State Secretary, Dr Leyds. It has been

declared as National Monument.

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KGOPOLWE KOPPIE IRON AGE SITE

This Iron Age site was declared as National Monument on 20 November 1970. Signs of

pre-historical mining activities were found on Kgopolwe, on the north-western

boundary of Phalaborwa.

SEALENG IRON AGE SITE

This Iron Age site was declared as National Monument on 20 November 1970. Signs of

pre-historical mining activities were found on Sealeng on Foskor mining property.

Sealeng was the burial ground of the chiefs of the Ba Phalaborwa.

MASORINI

Masorini Iron Age site is situated 15km from Phalaborwa within the Kruger National

Park. The remains of a kraal of the Ba Phalaborwa were found by archaeologists, as

well as traces of pre-historical smelting works.

ELLIS RAS DISTRICT

HOORNBOSCH

(District of Marapong) This rondavel was built around 1941 by the Dutch Reformed

Church when they visited the area to administer Communion to their congregation.

FARMHOUSE (On the farm Gelyk - Ellisras)

Built by Italian prisoners of war in 1943 – 1944. It was built with stone from the nearby

Tafelkop.

FARMHOUSE (On the farm Hoornbosch - Ellisras)

A good example of the architecture of the period 1940 - 1945. Built with sand and

raw sun dried bricks.

CAUSEWAY (At Hoornbosch - Ellisras)

This causeway was built in 1933 by men of the farming community. The bridge was

baptised with a bottle of mampoer and called "Rots der Eeuwn". A section was built

on sand which caused the bridge to settle below the level of the road. It is currently

still in use.

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SCHOOL BUILDING (Farm Waterkloof - Ellisras)

This was the first school building built north of Sandriverpoort. It was built in 1913 by

the owner of the farm, Mr. J. Lee for his own children as well as children of the

neighbouring farms.

WATERBERG DISTRICT

OLD REFORMED CHURCH BUILDING'

This building was declared as National Monument on 17 October 1975. The building

of the church commenced in 1889, and on 23 November of the same year the first

service was held in the church. Shortly after the Anglo-Boer War a section was added

on to form the shape of a cross. In 1930 a new church was built and the original

church became the church hall. Except for the floor, windows and ceiling, which

was replaced with modern material, the building remained the same as always.

ANA TREE (Acacia albida)

This tree species is rare in the vicinity north of the Waterberg. They are situated 16 km

from Mokopane on the Steilloop / Marken road. It is a striking example of the plant

growth in this vicinity, and is also of great botanical value as it is the largest group of

endemic trees in the Limpopo Province.

STRIJDOM HOUSE MUSEUM

This house museum is situated in Church Street, Nylstroom. It was declared as a

National Monument on 10 January 1975. On 8 October 1976, the museum opened it's

doors. It was the residence of the former Prime Minister of South Africa, the late

Advocate J.G. Strijdom. It has a collection of approximately 600 pieces.

MODIMOLLE MOUNTAIN

A famous landmark of the Springbok Flats, is the 1337 m high Kranskop. Apparently

the Voortrekkers regarded this mountain as a remnant of a pyramid. Known to the

local tribes as Modimolle mountain or place of spirits. It is a sacred and historic

mountain to the northern Sotho people who inhabited the area for centuries.

Apparently the mountain is thought to be a resort of ghosts and the taboo site of

graves of ancient chiefs.

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ROOIBERG - TIN MINES

Rooiberg Tin mine is situated approximately 60km west of Bela-bela. Tin mining in the

district of the Waterberg between 1905 and 1914 occurred mainly at Rooiberg,

Zaaiplaats and Union Tin. Problems such as the remoteness of the mine and the

unpredictable nature of the tin deposits contributed to the difficulties of drawing and

maintaining the skilled and unskilled labour force required. Apart from imported

labourers such as Chinese and Hereros, the tin mining companies employed poor

whites to supplement their unskilled labour force. Rich tin deposits at Rooiberg, have

been mined for at least five centuries. Part of a pit prop from on Iron Age mine shaft

discovered has been radiocarbon dated to about 1500 AD.

BLOCKHOUSE (Bela-bela)

Some 98 km from Pretoria on the main road to Bela-bela, in the vicinity of the railway

station, a blockhouse is situated in Paul Sauer road. The building dates back to the

Anglo-Boer War and was built by the British military government. It was built to

protect the railway against the Boers’. The Blockhouse was proclaimed as a National

Monument in 25 September 1959.

BOCHUM DISTRICT HELEN FRANZ HOSPITAL

The Helen Franz hospital has not yet been declared as a National Monument. It is

one of the oldest hospitals in the Bochum area.

MILLBANK ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Iron Age pottery work has been discovered at this site. The site is classified in the same

era as the finds of Klein-Africa and Happy Rest. The site has to be reconstructed and

all the finds to be recorded. The site has not yet been declared as a National

Monument.

RANDJIES

An Iron age archaeological site. The findings of the research done on this site was

recorded by the Natural Cultural history Museum. The site has not yet been declared

as a National Monument.

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LETABA DISTRICT

JANETSI DAM SITE

A survey was conducted of cultural resources on this site and some Iron Age artefacts

were found. The site is not declared as a National Monument.

SHILOWA COSTINI SITE

Application made by the University of South Africa for the excavation and for radio

carbon analysis.

OLD POST OFFICE: TZANEEN

The Old Post Office in Tzaneen was built in 1919. The National Monument council

finally agreed to issue a permit for alternation since the original architectural make up

could no longer be restored.

OFCOLACO-CLIVIA

This has been an attempt at ensuring the survival of the flora of this country by

establishing a well protected and natural habitat for these species.

SILVER LEAVES

There are some archaeological deposits of the early Iron Age people found at this

site. The farm Silver Leaves belongs to Mr. Menno Klapwijk.

WESTFALIA ESTATES

This estate belonged to the late Dr. Hans Merensky, eminent geologist, who is best

remembered for his work in the discovery of platinum and diamond deposits in South

Africa. The Hans Merensky Museum can also be found on this estate.

BOLOBEDU CYCADS

This plant can be found in large numbers against the slopes of the "Holy Mountain" in

the Modjadji reserve, north east of Polokwane. These plants belong to the plant

genus Encephalartos. The greatest concentration of Encephalaros transvernosus in

the world; occurs here.

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MODJADJI KRAAL

The Modjadji's capital is a rather dusty and hot place, shaded by a few wild fig trees.

During the 16th century a princess of the Karango people of Zimbabwe fled south

with a few followers, to the valley of the Molotutse. The princess had carried with her

the rainmaking magic of her ruling family. She and her successors used this magic to

considerable effect, instilling in tribes as far away as Swaziland, a fear that if they

offended the Lovedu queen, she would withhold the rain. The inner secrets of

Modjadji remain a mystery. The ritual of rainmaking was highly complex, involving

strange sacrifices and many magic ingredients, some gruesome. The previous

Modjadji's who, when they had become too old to rule, were obliged to sip poison

from a cup, and to be replaced by a young person. Legend spread that Modjadji

(the ruler of the day), as the Lovedu queens were titled, was immortal and terror

caused by the magic powers of this strange being not only prevented the tribe from

being attacked, but brought them prosperity from the propitiatory gifts sent to the

queen.

SHILUVANE MISSION

Nine and a half kilometres beyond the turn off to Leydsdorp, the road passes the

Shiluvane Mission Station which was established in 1886. Swiss missionary and

ethnographer, Henri-Alexander Junod, was trained as a Protestant minister at

Neuchotel, Basle and Berlin. After being in Switzerland from 1896 to 1899, he

established a school for evangelists at Shiluvane.

TSONGA KRAAL MUSEUM

This Tsonga/Shangaan open-air museum was officially opened in 1975. The museum

is situated in the Hans Merensky Nature Reserve about 45km east of Letsitele. The rise

of Shaka and the subsequent wars, led to the movement of a group of Zulu refugees

under Soshangana along the east coast up into the present Mozambique. These

wars and later successive disputes between two of Soshangana's sons drove many of

the Tsonga over the Lebombo Mountains to the safety of the present Limpopo

Province. Today the descendants of both these groups live in the area formerly

known as Gazankulu. The Tsonga Kraal museum, is an attempt to show as many of

the tradizional building styles of the North Tsonga, as possible. Many of the styles

shown here are no longer found in the villages of the North Tsonga. The layout of the

kraal represents the homestead of a chief with eight wives. The arrangement of the

huts follows a set pattern, with variations on this pattern are found within the area.

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Craftsman practice the traditional crafts, such as pottery, woodwork, basketry and

salt making. Here the traditional way of the Tsonga/Shangaan life can be

experienced, with demonstrations of handcrafts and music. Domestic animals such as

Nguni cattle and goats can be seen. The museum has a collection of approximately

6500 pieces.

DONKERKLOOF:(Drakensberg escarpment)

Donkerkloof cave is situated at Mphahlele in the Strydpoort mountain range. It

extends from Mphahlele in the south to Molepo in the northern side of the mountain

and is approximately 18 km long.

THE WOLKBERG CAVES (DRAKENSBERG ESCARPMENT)

This cave is found in the Wolkberg Mountains of the Drakensberg escarpment. They

were formed along a fault line in the Malmine Dolomite 22000 million years old. The

cave is a very sensitive ecosystem, which provides an ideal site for conservation and

research projects. Conditions at this cave have been monitored over a period of 15

years.

MUSINA DISTRICT

MAPUNGUBWE

Mapungubwe was declared as National Monument on 17 August 1984.

Mapungubwe is situated approximately 2,5 km south east of the junction of the Shashi

and Limpopo Rivers, on the farm Greefswald. Mapungubwe consists of bushveld

sandstone and is approximately 300 meters long, it has a flatcrown vertical wreathe

of some 30 m high. The hill itself has an elongated shape, with 80 m high cliffs

surrounding the greater part of its periphery. Mapungubwe is an early iron age

archaeological site that became known in the 1930' s with the discovery of golden

ornaments and artefacts.

FOSSILISED FOOTPRINTS: PONTDRIFT

This natural site was discovered in 1969, in the Holkrans sand stone, on the farm

Pontdrift. The foot print dates back to approximately 180 million years ago. The prints

were presumably made by three kinds of reptiles, like Massospondylus, Tetrasauropus

and Syntarsus. The prints are all pointing in the same direction at a decline of 27°. The

site was declared as National Monument on 15 March 1972.

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SKIRBECK

The skirbeck is currently known as Franpton Estate. It exhibits the Venda clay building

style can be seen at the old Chirundu kraal. On top of a sandstone hill a third site

presumably was the residence of the witch doctor who served Chirundu. A rock

painting of Giraffes was also found.

WERKPLAAS (Between Kromdraai and Stayt)

This farm is better known as the Greater Kuduland Safari's. A Large number of Venda

sites, some with very high walls can be seen on this farm. Excavations done by Mr.

Helgard Prinsloo, from the University of Pretoria, indicated a rock shelter with stone

implements. Bambata pottery was also discovered. A small version of the

Mapungubwe type site can also be observed.

KROMDRAAI

This site resembles of a later Mapungubwe type of building style, with a possible

influence of Khami. The site is situated on top of a sandstone hill. This site dates to

1200 - 1400 A.C. It has recently been discovered that the animal/livestock kraal/pen

is situated right next to the high status area.

STAYT

This site is on the farm Nakop, which can be found on the gravel road to Njelele. A

single phase early Mapungubwe site, that dates back to 1100 – 1300AD. To the west

of this site an old Venda site to the west and a copper smelting site has been

discovered.

VERDUN RUINS

Six kilometres west of Mopanie station on the farm Verdun the Bavenda ruins are

relocated. The strong walls of the Khotla, or council-chamber has a typical chiefs

chair. Behind the chair on the opposite side of the walls is a short piece of wall with

check patterns. These ruins, like the Machemma- and Dzata ruins, form an important

connection in the pre-history of South Africa. These ruins can be associated with the

movement of the Shona people southwards. Declared as National Monument on 27

January 1938.

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THULAMELA

Is an early Iron Age site, dating 1250 – 1670 and it is the oldest reconstructed structure

in Africa and is the best preserved post-Zimbabwe period site of its kind. The Old

stone ruins at Thulamela are considered to be of the same culture and civilisation as

the Munomutapa. This site completes the last phase of the well-known Zimbabwean

culture period and is of major importance in the reconstruction of the history of

southern Africa. This site is has not yet been declared as a National Monument.

BAOBAB TREES

This natural feature was declared as National Monument on 19 June 1936. The Baobab trees are found on a farm in the Musina district and are of aesthetic and historical value. They are protected for natural significance

ort limpopo state of the environment re psoer.deat.gov.za/dm_documents/limpopo_state_of... · ·...

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