AE11112
A report on a heritage impact assessment for the proposed establishment of the so-called Rustplaas Township on portions 8, 37 & 38 of Rustplaas 494 IT and portion 12 of Leliefontein 493 IT, near Piet Retief, Mpumalanga (Mkhondo Projects)
Summary
Archaetnos cc was requested by Plan2Survey Africa, on behalf of Worleyparsons (incorporating KV3 Engineers), to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment for the proposed establishment of the Rustplaas Township on Portions 8, 37 & 38 of the farm Rustplaats 494 IT and Portion 12 of the farm Leliefontein 493 IT, in the Mkhondo Local Municipality (Piet Retief), Mpumalanga.
The area has been fairly extensively disturbed in the recent past by rural residential developments, agricultural activities and large scale plantations, as well as other developments such as Power lines. If any sites, features or objects of a heritage nature or significance existed in the area during the past it would have been disturbed or destroyed to a large degree. The only site of some significance recorded in the area is the remains of possibly recent agriculturally related structures (farm labour etc). Recommendations regarding the mitigation of impacts on this site are given at the end of this report. A cemetery was recorded and surveyed by Johan Oosthuizen Surveyors in the area, although the site was not located during the fieldwork. A possible cemetery was noticed on aerial views (Google) of the area that could be the same one.
If the recommendations put forward at the end of this document are implemented, then, from a Cultural Heritage point of view, there would be no objection to the proposed township development.
Report by
A.J. Pelser - Accredited member of ASAPA