Stone Age in Pretoria

Waterkloof House Preparatory School in Muckleneuk, Pretoria, is building a new swimming pool. Recent digging work has unveiled ancient objects. Pretoria is rich in early and mid Stone Age objects. In the 1950s, the late Tony Brink, an archaeologist, discovered Stone Age objects at the school. Dr. Francis Thackeray, a WHPS Old Boy, is the current director of the Transvaal Museum. He is an expert on the Stone Age in the Pretoria area. He was eight years old when, together with a WHPS teacher, Tony Brink, he found his first objects. The school will display the latest objects in a collection to be named in honour of Tony Brink.

Vredefort Dome under threat

The Vredefort Dome World Heritage site is under threat. It is believed that southern Africa is the cradle of mankind, and that this site is probably where life started. A meteorite slammed into the ground near what is now Vredefort in the Free State, leaving a crater 90 kilometres wide and 20 kilometres deep. Two thousand million years later, the Vredefort Dome Conservancy is relatively unknown as a tourist spot. It is the oldest of the three largest sites where a meteorite struck the earth. The other two sites are in Mexico and Canada. Vredefort is the best preserved site and draws scientists from all over the world. The Dome Conservancy houses a finely balanced ecosystem with diversity in habitats such as open plains, bushveld and riverine bush. At least 99 plant species have been identified, including the world’s largest olive wood tree forest. It is also an important birding area with over 450 bird species identified. Recently a new archaeological find was made when the remains of a young woman were uncovered at the Askoppies ­ refuse dumps created by Iron Age settlements. Kraal foundations have been uncovered, as well as the remains of huts. Archaeological excavations are still underway.

Landowners in the area have joined the Dome Conservation Trust, started six years ago to save the Vredefort Dome area from mining activities, and getting it declaring a World Heritage Site. Now this unique site is again under threat. Illegal development was taking place. Raw sewerage was being pumped into the Vaal River, threatening the ecosystem. Three golfing estates were being built in the heart of the dome. An Australian mining company, Orbitx, wants to prospect for gold and coal in the area.

Prestwich Place bones find a final resting place

The remains of about 2500 people, including slaves and Khoisan, uncovered during building operations in Prestwich Street, Green Point, in 2004 were given a final resting place in a newly-built ossuary at St Andrew's Square. Prestwich Place (corner of Prestwich and Alfred Streets) is one of the few known and identifiable burial places of the time, which served the city's poor. Bones were also found underneath the Grand Parade in 1960 when the Post Office tunnel was dug. A few years later, a Vredehoek resident also found bones when building a new driveway on his property. Bones have also been found in Mechau Street, Chiappini Street, Buitengracht, Adderley Street and Milnerton beach. Last year bones were found where the new Greenpoint Stadium is being built. The Prestwich Place discovery led to emotional scenes. Dr. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture, made a decision that the bones could not be scientifically studied as it would upset some communities. After the discovery, archaeologists from UCT determined that the bones dated back to the 1800s and the site was declared a heritage site. After the bones were carefully recovered, they were locked up in the Woodstock Hospital's Mortuary. Tim Hart, one of the project co-ordinators and co-director of archaeology contracts for the University of Cape Town (UCT), said that after initial observations, the bones could be the remains of slaves because some had dental formations uncommon to the Cape and some were not buried in coffins, and instead huddled together in shallow holes. The Prestwich Place Project Committee appealed decisions by the South African Heritage Resources Agency to continue with excavation, but failed to stop the digging until all of the bones were removed.

Khoisan skeleton?

The skeletal remains, possibly of a Khoisan man who died 500 years ago, were recently found by builders in Elands Bay, about 220 kilometres from Cape Town. A skull and forearm was found buried about 1.2 metres deep. The bones were found in an upright, seated position. Archaeology students at the University of Cape Town are investigating. The last major bone discovery in the Cape Town area was in May 2003, when hundreds of human skeletons were uncovered on a construction site in Prestwich Street, Green Point. After investigations, a cemetery was found under the foundations of old buildings, which were being demolished to make way for a new building. Later the building of a R5.6 million heritage centre to house the centuries-old human remains found in Prestwich Street led to the discovery of more remains by construction workers and an archaeologist was called in.