Water procurement and the environment: a comparative history of South Africa’s Nandoni and De Hoop dams 1994 - 2007.

Die konstruksie van damme in Suid-Afrika het in onlangse jare uiteenlopende response tot gevolg gehad in die geledere van die omgewingsbewuste lede van die land se burgerlike samelewing. Twee voorbeelde is die De Hoop- en Nandonidam wat onderskeidelik in Mpumalanga en die Limpopoprovinsie geleë is. Hierdie damme oefen albei ‘n bepalende invloed uit op die omgewing in die wêreldbekende Nasionale Krugerwildtuin (NKW). Albei is geleë in die opvanggebied van riviere wat deur die wildtuin vloei. Hierdie damme het ‘n belangrike rol om te speel. Benewens die feit dat hulle, in sommige gevalle, in van die land se mees agtergeblewe streke voorkom, het albei grootliks ten doel om ontwikkeling te stimuleer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering het tans ‘n beleidsdoelwit om armoede in die land teen 2015 uit te wis. Hierdie beleid word in samewerking met die sakesektor om die doelwitte wat gestel is by wyse van samewerking te verwesentlik. Omgewingsbewustes het egter die ontwikkeling in sommige kontekste veroordeel. In die artikel word aandag gegee aan ‘n manier waarop die burgerlike samelewing, die regering en die sakesektor saamgewerk het om te onderhandel vir die voorsiening van water in streke wat waterarm is. In die besonder word aandag gegee aan die geskiedenis, sedert 1994, van die beplanning, voorbereiding en uitvoer van damkonstruksieprojekte in die Limpopoprovinsie en Mpumalanga

A history of the Waterlit Collection (1974-1999): A hard copy research collection on water studies and its digital catalogue

In the second half of the twentieth century, South Africa built up a reputation as one of the foremost countries of the world in terms of water infrastructure development. Dam projects such as the Orange River Scheme and the purification of sewage water to drinking water standards in the Namibian capital of Windhoek, were some of the many achievements that South Africa boasted.How was it possible then for a country that was politically isolated to accumulate significant knowledge on the water sector and literally be on top of their game? A partial answer to this riddle isthe Waterlit Collection (WLC), a collection of articles, reports and academic theses and dissertations collected and managed at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria in the years from 1974 until the mid-1990s. This article provides a historical overview of how the WLC of the CSIR, funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC), was turned into a corpus of more than 300 000 documents. Localresearch output at the time, as well as some of the latest research findings in other parts of the world, became accessible to water researchers in South Africa. There is indeed reason to believe that the collection contributed to water research in South Africa during the years of isolation. The collection also facilitated some of the country’s breakthrough technologies in the water sector.The study also explores how the rapid development of information technologies in library science, computer science and the evolution of widespread Internet use influenced the collection, whichcurrently forms part of the South African Water History Archival Repository (SAWHAR) at the North-West University’s Vaal Campus in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng

Komatipoort: oostelike poort van Transvaal.

• Opsomming: Met die bou van die Oosterspoor tussen Pretoria en Lourenço Marques (Maputo) in die negentiende eeu, is verskeie dorpe in die Oos-Transvaalse Laeveld gestig, onder meer Komatipoort, die laaste nedersetting duskant die Transvaalse grens met Mosambiek. Sedert sy totstandkoming het hierdie dorp telkens ondergang in die gesig gestaar. Die voorkoms van tropiese siektes het menslike vestiging bemoeilik totdat die probleem deur die mediese wetenskap opgelos is. Na afloop van die Tweede Vryheidsoorlog (1899 - 1902) het Transvaal 'n Britse kolonie geword en daarmee het die Oosterspoor sy politieke bestaansreg verloor. Transvaalse in- en uitvoere kon deur die Britse hawens van Natal en die Kaapkolonie gehanteer word. Later is die Oosterspoor weer in gebruik geneem. In 1975 het Mosambiek 'n onafhanklike staat geword nadat Portugal hom aan die gebied onttrek het. Verhoudinge tussen Suid-Afrika en die Frelimo-bewind was aanvanklik nie goed nie met die gevolg dat die spoorverkeer tussen die twee state tot stilstand gekom het. In onlangse jare is dit egter weer hervat. Tussen al hierdie beroeringe deur het Komatipoort steeds bly voortbestaan, grootliks as gevolg van sy strategiese ligging en die uitbreiding van die boerderybedryf in die omgewing.• Summary: When the Eastern railway line from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques was constructed in the nineteenth century, several towns were developed in the Eastern Transvaal Lowveld, inter alia Komatipoort, the last settlement on the Transvaal side of the border with Mozambique. Ever since it was established Komatipoort's survival has been threatened on numerous occasions. Until medical technology countered the threats posed by tropical disease, this had adversely affected human settlement locally. After the Anglo-Boer War (1899 - 1902) the Transvaal became a British colony with the result that the former republican line to the Portuguese port lost its political significance since imports and exports passed through the British-controlled ports of Natal and the Cape. Later the line was taken into use again. In 1975 Mozambique became independent when Portugal moved out of its former colony. Once more the future of Komatipoort was in the balance as fewer goods were being transported between South Africa and the harbour of Maputo. Despite this, the third major setback in its short history, Komatipoort holds its own largely owing to its strategic position and local agricultural enterprise

Private ondernemerskap op die voorpos: ontginning van Soutpansberg se soutbron in die 19de eeu.

• Opsomming: Gedurende die laat-19de eeu was die ontginning van sout by die Soutpansbergse soutpan 'n gewilde bedryf. Dit is meegebring deur die groter getal mense wat hulle na die ontdekking van goud aan die Witwatersrand in 1886 in die distrik Soutpansberg gevestig het. Die regering van die Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek het aanvanklik gepoog om 'n vorm van administratiewe orde by die soutpan te skep. Dit het egter misluk en daarom is die bron aan private ondernemers verpag; dit het egter spoedig duidelik geword dat voorpospioniers groot skade as gevolg van hierdie reëling gely het. Die saak kon nie summier reggestel word nie omdat die staat kontraktueel aan die verhuring verbind was. Die navorsing toon dat private ondernemerskap onder voorposomstandighede in die vorige eeu nie noodwendig altyd tot voordeel van die plaaslike gemeenskap gestrek het nie.• Summary: The saltpan of Soutpansberg in the Northern Transvaal was a popular spot for salt-mining during the later pan of the 19th century. This was brought about by the ever-increasing permanent population in the Soutpansberg district after the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886. Although the government of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek initially tried to exercise some sort of administrative control at the pan, it was not successful. Consequently the saltpan was leased to private entrepreneurs. It however soon became clear that the pioneers on the frontier suffered heavy losses because of this arrangement. But nothing could be done to alter the situation since the government was contractually bound to the undertaking. The author suggests that privatization under frontier conditions in the 19th century, did not always benefit the frontier community

Historiografie en stilistiek: Die verkenning van enkele kontemporêre tendense: (Eerste aflewering van twee artikels.)

Historiography and stylistics exploration of some contemporary trends In the study attention is given to historiography as a means of determining the intellectual trends in a given period. Along with that the principle of stylistics is outlined as a means of expressing style and style trends that give the discipline of history and its practitioners a very specific identity. There is a suggestion that within the paradigm of a framework of production it is possible to determine certain trends. Science, the spirit of the times and the self can be considered as key components in determining the way in which historical writing is conducted. From that comes the unique way in which historians contemporise the past

'n Skeppende grensnyweraar: James Smith (1858 - 1934) meubelmaker van Noord-Transvaal.

• Opsomming: James Smith is een van die belangrikste figure in die geskiedenis van meubelvervaardiging uit inheemse hout in die binneland van Suid-Afrika. Hierdie grenspionier van Noord- Transvaal het uit kiaathout besondere meubelstukke vervaardig wat vandag van besonder groot kulturele en historiese waarde is. Die artikel ondersoek die herkoms van James Smith, die evolusie van sy meubelstyl en die bedryf wat hy gevestig het.• Summary: James Smith is one of the more important figures in the history of furniture manufacture from indigenous timber in the interior of South Africa. This frontiersman of Northern Transvaal used indigenous teak timber in the manufacture of furniture. These pieces are of exceptional cultural and historical value today. In the article the earliest history of James Smith, the evolution of his style and the unique type of industry that he established is traced

Through Livingstone’s eyes: perspectives on water in nineteenth-century Southern Africa (1849-56)

• Opsomming: David Livingstone (1813–1873) was deel van ‘n merkwaardige geslag ontdekkingsreisigers wat in die negentiende eeu Afrika vir die Engelssprekende wêreld oopgestel het. In Missionary travels and researches in South Africa (1858), ‘n klassieke reisbeskrywing, maak hy onder meer telkens mededelings aan mense in Brittanje en Noord-Amerika in verband met die wyse waarop hy die wateromgewing in suider-Afrika ervaar het terwyl hy op reis was in die streek. Livingstone se waarnemings werp waardevolle lig oor die wyse waarop inheemse gemeenskappe met die wateromgewing omgegaan het. Ook is daar aanduidings van die wyse waarop hulle die beskikbare waterbronne bestuur het. Ook word kennis geneem van Victoriaanse perspektiewe oor water in suider-Afrika

Eersteling - bakermat van die Suid-Afrikaanse goudmynbedryf.

• Opsomming: Die Eersteling-goudveld in Noord- Transvaal. is van besondere belang in die geskiedenis van die Suid-Afrikaanse goudmynbedryf want dis die plek waar goud vir die eerste keer op groot skaal in Suid-Afrika ontgin is nadat dit in 1871 deur die prospekteerder Edward Button ontdek is. In 1872 het Button na Groot-Brittanje gegaan en die Transvaal Gold Mining Co. Ltd. gestig. Deur aandele te verkoop, het hy genoeg kapitaal verkry om die moderne toerusting te koop wat nodig was vir die grootskaalse ontginning van goud by Eersteling. Met die uitbreek van die Eerste Vryheidsoorlog in 1880 is die werksaamhede by die myn gestaak en is eers weer hervat nadat begin is om ander goudvelde in die distrik Soutpansberg te ontwikkel. Die ontdekking van goud aan die Witwatersrand in 1886 het die meeste delwers daarheen gelok met die gevolg dat Eersteling verwaarloos is. Hoewel Eersteling nooit weer dieselfde bloeitydperk beleef het nie, word ontginning vandag nog op klein skaal daar voortgesit. As gevolg van die styging in die goudprys is daar tans hernude belangstelling in Eersteling en moderne toerusting word tans aangewend om die rykdomme van hierdie gebied te ontgin.• Summary: The Eersteling gold-fields in the Northern Transvaal are very important in the history of the South African gold-mining industry. There, for the first time, gold was mined on a large scale in South Africa following its discovery in 1871 by the prospector Edward Button. In 1872 Button went to Great Britain where he formed the Transvaal Gold Mining Co. Ltd. From sale of stocks he obtained the capital required to buy the modern equipment necessary for large scale gold-mining at Eersteling. His activities were interrupted by the outbreak of the first Anglo-Boer War in 1880, and were recommenced only when other gold-fields were being developed in the Soutpansberg district. When gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand in 1886 most of the diggers flocked there, leaving Eersteling almost to itself. Although Eersteling never experienced a boom again, mining activities were continued and have lasted into the present time. The present high gold price has resulted in a renewed interest in the Eersteling gold-fields, where modern equipment is used to exploit the riches of this area