Spatial Development Framework(DMA)

DRAFT

SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK : DISTRICT

MANAGEMENT AREA

(copyright Barrie Low, 2003)

February 2007

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DRAFT

SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK : DISTRICT MANAGEMENT

AREA

CONSULTANT TEAM

ENVIRO DINAMIK WESTERN CAPE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS (PTY) LTD

2001/000010/07

Telephone : (021) 976-0739 Facsimile : (021) 975-8630

DRAFT DISTRICT MANAGEMENT AREA SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK ENVIRO DINAMIK FEBRUARY 2007

Bianca Gilfillan (Ms) 082 378 0894 E-mail :

Dupré Lombaard

(project contact person) 082 895 6362

[email protected]

21 King Street, Durbanville

PO Box 2470, Durbanville, 7551 083 651 0952 Anél Joubert (Ms)

Bioregional Planning Sub-consultant Lucinda Cedras (Mrs) 082 810 3527

BOTANICAL SPECIALIST :

COASTEC Mr Barrie Low

Telephone : 021 685 5445 Facsimile : 021 685 5445 e-mail : [email protected]

Cellular phone : 082 579 7040

TRANSPORT SPECIALIST :

iCE BOLAND Mr Piet Van Berk

Telephone : 021 880 0443 Facsimile : 021 880 0390 e-mail : [email protected]

Cellular phone : 083 230 7321

mailto:[email protected]

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UITVOERENDE OPSOMMING Die Ruimtelike Ontwikkelingsraamwerk vir die Kaapse Wynland Distrikbestuursgebied (DMA) word opgestel ter ondersteuning van die visie van die Kaapse Wynland (alle belanghebbendes, insluitende grondeienaars, staatsinstansies en burgerlikes) vir die ontwikkeling en bewaring van die area en die doelwitte en strategieë soos geïdentifiseer in die Provinsiale Ruimtelike Ontwikkelingsraamwerk (PROR) wat deur die Provinsiale Regering van die Wes-Kaap (PR:WK) goedgekeur is in Desember 2005. Ingevolge Artikel 26(e) van die Wet op Plaaslike Regering : Munisipale Sisteme, 2000, Wet 32 van 2000 word ‘n Ruimtelike Ontwikkelingsraamwerk (ROR) vereis as deel van die Geïntegreerde Ontwikkelingsplan (GOP) van ‘n munisipaliteit. Die Kaapse Wynland Distrikmunisipaliteit (KWDM) het die GOP in Februarie 2006 goegekeur. Die voorgestelde ROR moet interaksie tussen bestaande beplanningsprojekte en programme bewerkstellig en hierdie planne en projekte komplementeer. Ander tersaaklike beplanningsinisiatiewe in die area sluit die Groter Cederberg Biodiversiteitskorridor en programme ingevolge Hoofstukke 3 en 4 van die Wet op Nasionale Omgewingsbestuur : Biodiversiteit, 2004, Wet 10 van 2004, in. Ten einde te voldoen aan die provinsiale riglyne vir die opstel van Ruimtelike Ontwikkelingsraamwerke, moet hierdie ROR ook voldoen aan die vereistes van die Wet op Nasionale Erfenis Hulpbronne, 1999, Wet 25 van 1999, vir die identifisering van Graad III Erfenis Hulpbronne. Die ROR sal die status van ‘n plaaslike struktuurplan, ingevolge die bepalings van Artikel 4(10) van die Ordonnansie op Grondgebruikbeplanning, 1985, Ordonnansie 15 van 1985 hê. As sulks sal dit dien as ‘n riglyn en bron van inligting vir alle besluitneming ten opsigte van die Distrikbestuursgebied deur die Raad van die Kaapse Wynland Distrikmunisipaliteit. Die ROR moet funksioneer as ‘n strategiese, leidinggewende en buigsame beplanningsmeganisme, wat besluite ten opsigte van ontwikkeling en grondgebruik in die studiegebied lei. Dit moet daarom beleid en beginsels bepaal en ‘n bestuursbenadering voorstel ingevolge waarvan besluitnemers kan handel met ontwikkelingsaangeleenthede. Dit moet ook dien as ‘n riglyndokument wat grondeienaars en die publiek bystaan in die bestuur en gebruik van die natuurlike hulpbronne vir doeleindes van ontwikkeling en bewaring. Hierdie ROR moet dus as ‘n plan dien waarvolgens openbare en privaat sektor belegging deur die implementering daarvan gefokus kan word ten einde die vier ruimtelike beplanningsbeginsels vir die Kaapse Wynland te kan behaal, naamlik :

Die volhoubare bestuur en gebruik van die beboude en natuurlike hulpbronne op so ‘n wyse dat dit die behoeftes van die huidige generasie bevredig sonder benadeling van die vermoë van toekomstige generasies om hulle behoeftes te kan bevredig ;

Die gelyke beskerming en bevoordeling van almal wat geraak word deur die ruimtelike

beplanning, grondgebruikbestuur en ontwikkelingsaksies of besluite daaroor ;

Dat die maksimum voordele ten opsigte van grondgebruikbeplanning bereik word met die minimum gebruik van hulpbronne ; en

Dat die afsonderlike en diverse elemente van ontwikkelingsbeplanning en grondgebruik

gekoppel en gekoördineer word as ‘n harmonieuse geheel. Voormelde verteenwoordig die beginsels van volhoubaarheid, gelykberegtiging, effektiwiteit en integrasie. Die situasieanalise wat gebruik is ter voorbereiding van die ROR het die impak van historiese en huidige grondgebruikaktiwiteite en die moontlike effek van klimaatsverandering beklemtoon. Dit het ook die status en funksie van bestaande paaie en infrastruktuur netwerke ter

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ondersteuning van volhoubare ontwikkeling in die omgewing beklemtoon. Hoewel daar nie ‘n gedetailleerde beskrywing van die padnetwerk beskikbaar is nie, is fasiliteite soos skole, bewaringsarea en ander sosiale infrastruktuur geanaliseer en word dit in die verslag uiteengesit.


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Spatial Development Framework for the Cape Winelands District Management Area is being compiled to support the development and conservation vision of the Cape Winelands (all Interested and Affected Parties, consisting of landowners, state institutions and civil society representatives) and the objectives and strategies identified in the Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF) approved by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape in December 2005. In terms of Section 26(e) of the Local Government : Municipal Systems Act, 2000, Act 32 of 2000, a Spatial Development Framework (SDF) is a legally required component of the Municipal Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The Cape Winelands District Municipality approved the IDP in February 2006. In addition thereto the Spatial Development Framework must complement and interact with the planning and programs related to the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor and Chapters 3 and 4 of the National Environmental Management : Biodiversity Act, 2004, Act 10 of 2004. In order to comply with the provincial guidelines related to the preparation of Spatial Development Frameworks, it must also fulfil the requirements of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999, Act 25 of 1999 for the identification of Grade 3 Heritage Resources. The Spatial Development Framework will have the status of a local structure plan, made in terms of Section 4 (10) of the Land Use Planning Ordinance, 1985, Ordinance 15 of 1985 and serve as a guide and informant to all decision made by the Council of the Cape Winelands District Municipality, relating to the District Management Area. The Spatial Development Framework is intended to function as a strategic, indicative and flexible planning tool, to guide decisions relating to the development and use of land within the study area. Therefore it must develop a set of policies and principles and a management approach that is clear enough to guide decision-makers in dealing with development matters. It must also be a guideline document to assist landowners and the public in dealing with what is relating to land use and the conservation of the natural attributes of the study area. Thus, public and private sector investment will be focussed through implementation of this plan and it would facilitate the four agreed spatial planning principles for the Cape Winelands District, namely the sustainable management of and use of the built and natural resources in a manner that ensure that the need of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their respective needs ; requiring that everyone affected by spatial planning, land use management and land development actions or decisions enjoy equitable protection and benefits ; that the desired results of land use planning are produced with the minimum expenditure of resources ; and that the separate and diverse elements involved in the development planning and land use are linked and co-ordinated into a harmonious whole. These represent the principles of sustainability, equality, efficiency and integration. The situation analysis for the preparation of this SDF highlighted the impact of past and current land use activities and possibly the effects of climate change. It also highlights the status and functionality of the existing roads and infrastructure networks to support sustainable development in the area. Although the detailed description of the road network is not available, such facilities as schools, conservation areas and other social infrastructure are analysed and indicated in the report.

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CONTENT 1. BACKGROUND

1.1 Purpose and Objectives of the Spatial Development Framework 1.2 Study area

1.3 Approach and Methodology

2. KEY LEGAL AND POLICY INFORMANTS

2.1 Spatial Planning System 2.2 Local Government : Municipal Systems Act, 2000

2.3 Development Facilitation Act, 1995 2.4 The Western Cape Planning and Development Act, 1999

2.5 Other legislation

3. STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION

3.1 Key planning informants

3.2 Social development issues 3.3 Spatial development issues

3.4 Constraints and opportunities 3.5 Focus group issues and discussions

4. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT

4.1 Introduction 4.2 Strategic direction 4.3 Alignment with other planning processes and documents 4.4 Spatial development objectives

5. SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

5.1 Rural landscapes – cultural and heritage asset 5.2 Access – infrastructure, including road maintenance

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5.3 Access – opportunities / facilities 5.4 Services – infrastructure to support development / economic land use 5.5 Degradation of natural resources – over grazing 5.6 Alien vegetation control 5.7 Distribution of nature reserves and conservation areas 5.8 Heritage resources – identification and protection 5.9 Farm worker housing 5.10 Rural poverty and employment levels 5.11 Diseases of poverty – TB, AIDS, FAS, etc 5.12 Administrative divisions 5.13 Land reform opportunities and projects 5.14 Illegal and inappropriate development on farms 5.15 Conservation use – nature reserves and resort development 5.16 Establishment and use of aerodromes 5.17 Commercial development along roads

5.18 Inappropriate development features – architecture / visual impact 5.19 Geographic areas 5.20 Environmental Management Frameworks.

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1. BACKGROUND

1.1. Purpose and Objectives of the Spatial Development Framework The Cape Winelands District Municipality District Management Area (DMA) covers the most remote rural areas of the Cape Winelands. The area is sparsely populated and semi-arid, which makes it unique in the municipality. The Spatial Development Framework (SDF) for the DMA therefore requires a unique approach. Moreover, the area is under pressure for perceived opposing outcomes, namely conservation of the Succulent Karoo ecosystem and development for agricultural and tourist related use, which further increases the need for a unique approach to the planning of the area. The Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) promotes the use and development of all land in its jurisdiction in a manner that is socially, environmentally and economically equitable and sustainable. Thus, the proposed District Management Area Spatial Development Framework (DMA SDF) must enable and promote sustainable rural development in a manner supportive of the conservation of the social, cultural and natural environment. This SDF must further the principles and strategies contained in the Cape Winelands Municipal SDF (December 2005) and supplement the proposals with sufficient detail.

In addition to the overall strategic approach, the DMA SDF must comply with the requirements of Chapter 5 of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, 2000, Act No. 32 of 2000 and it must complement and interact with the planning and programs of the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor in particular and Chapters 3 and 4 of the National Environmental : Biodiversity Act, 2004, Act 10 of 2004 in general. The following key objectives were outlined in the Terms of Reference for the study :

Make recommendations relating to opportunities to optimise the utilisation of the existing resources, including agriculture, land, the natural environment, water, minerals, bulk infrastructure, roads, transport and social facilities so as to facilitate tourism and environmental conservation as a socio-economic base for the area.

Propose strategies to discourage inefficient and insensitive development and protect the agricultural and biodiversity resource base of the area.

Propose strategies to contribute to the correction of historically distorted patterns of land ownership and settlement.

Propose strategies to beneficially use the existing infrastructure, roads and transport opportunities.

Propose strategies to maximise opportunities for the co-ordinated management of large conservation areas by Cape Nature or any other statutory body.

Propose strategies to facilitate efficient land use management and sustainable development.

In summary, the objective of the DMA SDF is to develop a plan in terms of the strategies identified in the Cape Winelands District Municipality Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which will provide a systematic and coordinated approach toward the sustainable management and exploitation of the resources of the DMA. It must therefore be aligned with:

National policy and legislation ; Provincial policy (Provincial Spatial Development Framework - PSDF) ; and Local policy (CWDM IDP, SDF and Local Economic Development initiatives).

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Ensure appropriate community and stakeholder participation and input in the SDF process. Identify opportunities for establishing public-private partnerships for the implementation of the proposals, thereby highlighting the creation of job opportunities to the benefit of poor rural communities. Evaluate the current state of the environment and identify specific environmental issues, problems and potential and current threats.

Identify the key activities, pressures and causes of environmental degradation. Identify institutional and regulatory improvements for more effective land use and environmental management. Promote sustainable development and use of natural resources, with special consideration to biodiversity issues. Identify capacity building needs, to allow the poor rural communities to access the planning and other strategies and tools. Identify and initiate pilot projects that will represent a first practical and visible step towards the implementation of the SDF.

1.2. Study area The study area shown in the map below, covers roughly 10 760 km² and stretches over a north south distance of 210 km and an east west distance of 100 km. Its northern boundary is shared with the Northern Cape (Hantam and Karoo Hoogland Municipality).

DRAFT DISTRICT MANAGEMENT AREA SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

ENVIRO DINAMIK FEBRUARY 2007

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1.3. Approach and Methodology

The approach to the planning for the DMA follows on the “pre-cautionary principle” (A principle of environmental law that states that lack of certainty must not be used as a reason to postpone cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation) and the others set out in Section 2 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Act 107 of 1998. The objectives of the project lead to the following approach :

As a first step, a desktop study of the area was undertaken and local knowledge gained from long standing residents of the area, through a consultation process. This leads to an understanding of the diverse elements of the DMA. Specialist input from a botanists and ecologists was gained to determine the focus areas for conservation purposes, whereas other resources were identified in close liaison with the relevant state bodies. The outcome of the assessment is information on the status quo or a status profile of the DMA, supported with maps and plans.

As part of the approach, guidelines relating to development in sensitive areas, on

mountains, hills and ridges, in wetlands, in rural areas and many others that are found in higher order planning policies must be created, or, where necessary recommendations must be made for the amendment of the existing guidelines, if these are found to be impractical under the circumstances.

Spatial development and land use management policy proposals that the community

finds equitable and are in keeping with national policy, especially relating to land reform matters, must be discussed and agreed on.

Specialist input from a Traffic / Transport Engineer that knows the DMA must assist

in determining the available transport infrastructure resources, to allow for the establishment of a transport and traffic system that would in itself be attractive to tourists and residents alike and that would create a framework for sustainable development. As part of this aspect, details relating to signage, rest areas, control points and safety must be considered.

The requirements for the establishment of management plans for sensitive

environments contained in the National Environmental : Biodiversity Act, 2004, Act 10 of 2004 and the stewardship options preferred and used by Cape Nature forms an important part of the planning process. Spatial development proposals would therefore be prepared in close consultation with the custodians of any conservation area, in order to ensure that the management would be efficient and cost effective and that it contributes to the social upliftment of the resident community.

The objective of facilitation of efficient land use management and sustainable

development, will be achieved by amongst others :

• Proposing development programs and strategies that will guide and co-ordinate land use management and development projects ;

• The establishment of development models and guidelines, e.g. the indication of

suitable land use ratios (accommodation units per farm or area) and development guidelines ;

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• The preparation and proposal of policies to ensure that benefits derived from the development of resorts filter down to local communities ;

• The identification of opportunities for land reform projects ;

• The designation of and making recommendations for the development or

upgrading of scenic routes ;

• The establishment of control mechanisms to prevent the misuse of the road infrastructure to bypass the national toll roads and weighbridges ;

• The identification of existing under-utilised community and public facilities in the

area ;

• The proposal of policies, programs and incentives to promote consistent environmental conservation and economic growth, especially in the field of small and micro enterprises ; and

• Proposals for the establishment of special conservation areas in consultation and

co-operation with the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor and the Gouritz Initiative project.

The only way of achieving the above is a thorough planning process, using existing forums and representative bodies for consultation and making sure that the area and all the diverse elements in the area are understood. In each instance where proposals are made on land, the owners of the relevant properties and the surrounding owners are consulted personally, so as to avoid confrontation and to ensure buy-in from the outset. In addition thereto, the value of local knowledge is reiterated, as it is the local community who have the benefit of long experience in the area and the need for a planned approach to development and conservation as a means of improving their situation. The following deliverables form part of the SDF :

A policy document for the overall spatial development and land use management. An implementation plan for pilot projects. A SDF map with suitable detail relating to special areas. A report on the biodiversity of the area. A report on the road infrastructure and transport proposals.

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2. KEY LEGAL AND POLICY INFORMANTS

2.1. Spatial Planning System

The PSDF and related guidelines and policies (Resort Policy, Urban Edge Guidelines, Policy on Golf Estates and Polo Fields) and the CWDM SDF provide the planning framework within which the DMA SDF is set. Amongst others it leads to the consolidation and integration of development in proximity of major transport routes, so as to create opportunities for public transport. Protection of river corridors and other habitats identified in the guidelines and policies, amongst others through restricting holiday housing and resort developments and limiting further agricultural development in such habitats, informs the planning proposals. 2.2. Local Government : Municipal Systems Act, 2000

In terms of Chapter 5 of the Local Government : Municipal Systems Act, 2000, Act 32 of 2000, the IDP is described as a single, inclusive and strategic plan for the development of a municipality. It is the principle strategic planning instrument that guides and informs all planning and development. All decisions with regard to planning, management and development in the municipality should take the IDP into account. The SDF is a sectoral plan, which is a written strategy or plan that deals mainly with one of the sectors or elements of the IDP. This SDF for the DMA is a sectoral plan that forms part of the IDP and it indicates the spatial implications of the IDP, laying down strategies, proposals and guidelines for the future spatial development of the area.

In terms of the Systems Act, the specific purpose of the SDF is to facilitate efficient land use management and sustainable development of the applicable area. 2.3. Development Facilitation Act, 1995

The Development Facilitation Act, 1995, Act 67 of 1995 (DFA), although not widely utilised and applied in the Western Cape, is of relevance to all planning processes, as it refocused historic planning processes in order to reverse the racially fragmented and control oriented planning systems applicable to South Africa prior 1994. It places an emphasis on the facilitation of development, through planning processes, in order to speed up development based on the approved planning and spatial development frameworks applicable to an area. It focuses on a principle based planning approach as opposed to a control based planning system, i.e. by the indication of areas for development, subject to compliance with specific principles and in keeping with the approved guidelines. The following general principles apply, to all land development in terms of the DFA :

“Policy, administrative practice and laws should provide for urban and rural land

development and should facilitate the development of formal and informal, existing and new settlements.

Policy, administrative practices and laws should discourage the illegal occupation of land, with due recognition of informal land development processes.

Policy, administrative practice and laws should promote efficient and integrated land

development in that they :

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• promote the integration of the social, economic, institutional and physical

aspects of land development ; • promote integrated land development in rural and urban areas in support of each

other ; • promote the availability of residential and employment opportunities in close

proximity to or integrated with each other ; • optimise the use of existing resources including such resources relating to

agriculture, land, minerals, bulk infrastructure, roads, transportation and social facilities ;

• promote a diverse combination of land uses, also at the level of individual erven or subdivisions of land ;

• discourage the phenomenon of "urban sprawl" in urban areas and contribute to the development of more compact towns and cities ;

• contribute to the correction of the historically distorted spatial patterns of settlement in the Republic and to the optimum use of existing infrastructure in excess of current needs ; and

• encourage environmentally sustainable land development practices and processes.”

2.4. The Western Cape Planning and Development Act, 1999

The SDF takes cognisance of the principles and guidelines contained in the Western Cape Planning and Development Act, 1999 (Act 7 of 1999) (WCPDA), even though the Act has not been implemented and is soon to be replaced. The Act contains the following general planning and development principles.

Policy and guideline documents on planning and development must - • be clear and generally available to those who are likely to be affected thereby; • provide guidance and information to those affected thereby in addition to serving

as regulatory measures; • be aimed at promoting trust and acceptance among those likely to be affected

thereby; and • give further content to fundamental rights as set out in the Constitution.

Each proposed development should be judged on its merits and no specific land use

should be regarded in advance or in general as being less important or desirable than any other land use, unless a development framework or structure plan indicates that a specific type of land use should be protected.

Members of communities affected by planning and development should be actively involved in the planning and development process.

The skills and capacities of all persons involved in planning and development, including the disadvantaged, should be developed.

All sectors of the economy (government and non-government sectors) should be encouraged to contribute toward planning and development so as to maximise the ability of all spheres of government to undertake planning and development and to this end: • authorities should endeavour to clearly define and make known the functions

and responsibilities of all sectors of the economy with regard to planning and development and the desired relationship between these sectors and

• an authority which is responsible for the administration of this Act and any other law relating to planning and development should furnish particulars of the legislation concerned and of the persons responsible for its administration to any person requiring such information.

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Efficient land development administrative practices should be promoted. Development should result in security of tenure and should provide for the widest

possible range of tenure alternatives, including individual and communal tenure. In the development of land the rightful interests of any occupants of that land

should be duly taken into account. The various levels of government should co-ordinate the interests of the various

sectors involved in or affected by development so as to minimise conflicting claims to scarce resources.

The effective functioning of a development market based on open competition between suppliers of goods and services should be stimulated.

Provision should be made for rural and urban planning and development and the development of existing and new formal and informal settlements should be facilitated.

The illegal occupation of land should be discouraged, with due recognition of informal development processes.

Sufficient land for permanent development and temporary reception areas should be identified and developed in accordance with national and provincial policies.

Efficient and integrated planning and development should be promoted by: • the integration of social, economic, institutional, environmental and physical

aspects of planning and development; • integrated development and planning in rural and urban areas with a view to

mutual support; • providing residential and employment opportunities in close proximity to or

integrated with each other; • the optimal utilisation of existing resources, including resources with regard to

agriculture, land, minerals, bulk infrastructure, roads, transport and social facilities;

• encouraging a diverse combination of land uses, including mixed land uses; • discouraging the phenomenon of urban sprawl, protecting the agricultural

resource base and encouraging the development of more compact cities; • contributing towards the correction of historically distorted spatial patterns of

settlement in the Western Cape and • encouraging environmentally sustainable planning and development practices

and processes.

Sustainable development should be promoted by- • promoting development within the fiscal, institutional and administrative means

of the Province; • promoting the establishment of viable communities; • promoting sustained protection of the environment; • meeting the basic needs of all communities in an affordable manner and • ensuring the safe use of land, with due regard to factors such as geological

formations, dangerously undermined areas and flood plains.

Development should harmonise with the ecological characteristics of the environment.

Development should heed the natural processes that control any specific environment.

Development in unsuitable environments, such as areas with a high water table, swamps, flood plains, steep slopes and areas sensitive to drift-sands, should be discouraged.

Development planning should heed carrying capacity restrictions, especially with regard to water shortages.

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Development planning should heed the aesthetic properties of landscapes and the environment.

2.5. Other legislation

All spatial development has an impact on the environment, therefore, the environmental legislation is also important and must be complied with. There most important act that governs all environmental matters related to land use planning is the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Act 107 of 1998. The main purpose of the Act is to create a South Africa where all people live in an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being, where sustainable development is promoted and that requires the integration of social, economic and environmental factors in the planning, implementation and evaluation of decisions to protect the environment for the benefit of present and future generations. Protection of the environment includes the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation, the promotion of conservation of the environment and securing ecologically sustainable development and the use of natural resources, whilst promoting justifiable economic and social development. NEMA contains 18 principles that must be applied throughout South Africa to the actions of all state bodies that may significantly affect the environment. When exercising powers that may significantly affect the environment, state bodies, including municipalities, must apply the NEMA principles. There are two core principles that are applicable and worth specific mention, namely :

Environmental management must place people and their needs at the forefront of its concern, and serve their physical, psychological, developmental, cultural and social interests equitably.

Development must be sociably, environmentally and economically sustainable.

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3. STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION

3.1. Key planning informants Distribution of facilities and population. According to the latest census data, there are roughly 1 600 households in the area, with a population of roughly 7 000, i.e. a population density of less than 0,65 people per hectare of land. There are approximately 1 900 farms and 11 schools in the study area. The schools are located in the more densely occupied western edges of the area, closer to the urban areas from where they are serviced (see map below).

DRAFT DISTRICT MANAGEMENT AREA SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

ENVIRO DINAMIK FEBRUARY 2007

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The study area extends over a wide area in which there are no towns or urban areas, which makes it difficult for the population to derive services from the main centres of the CWDM, namely Worcester and Stellenbosch. In stead, indications are that the different areas indicated in the map above tend to do business in the towns of Ceres, Worcester, Montagu and Barrydale. This includes business related to municipal services,

Ceres

Worcester

Montagu

Barrydale

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such as the use of libraries and the payment of accounts and reporting of required works. The following analysis of the population characteristics uses this as a basis. The population resides mainly in the Ceres area (5 524 people). Roughly 415 reside in the “Montagu” area, 361 in the “Worcester” area and 214 in “Barrydale” (Census, 2001). The entire population lives on farms, thus transport is a major issue in such a sparsely populated area. According to the census data, the majority of the population rely on their own resources for commuting, i.e. they walk or hitchhike, making busses and passenger vehicles the next most used modes of transport, as these are the vehicles that would typically give rides to pedestrians or are most affordable.


Area Foot Bi-cycle

Motor Car (driver)

Car (passenger) Bus Train Other N/a cycle

Ceres 3 074 6 18 161 332 378 6 312 1 190Montagu 148 - 3 30 50 24 - 9 151Barrydale 62 - - 24 15 - - 3 105Worcester 131 6 3 15 30 48 - 3 126Table 1: Breede River WCDMA02. Mode of transport for the Individual (Census Data, 2001) The age distribution of the population indicates the number of people reliant on services and state assistance, such as education, medical and pensions. The following graph indicates a large population in the pre-school and school going ages and many people I their most productive or economically active ages.

Population by age

0100200300400500600700

0-4

15-19

30-34

45-49

60-64

75-79

Age

Pop

ulat

ion Ceres

MontaguBarrydaleWorcester

Figure 1: Breede River WCDMA02. Population age distribution (Census Data, 2001)

The levels of education of the population are relatively low and indicative of the rural situation. 16% of the population have no schooling and 46% have some primary education. 8% of the population has some form of technical qualification, outside of secondary schooling and only 1% completed school and gained a diploma. All other levels of education are insignificant. The graph below indicates the levels of education for each area as a ratio of the population in each group (level), i.e. a comparison of the different areas.

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Level of Education

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

No schoo

ling

Some p

rimary

Complete prim

ary

Some s

econ

dary

Std 10/G

rade 12

Higher

Not app

licable

Level

Pop

ulat

ion

WorcesterBarrydaleMontaguCeres

Figure 2: Breede River WCDMA02. Highest educational level - Grouped for the Individual (Census Data, 2001)

Employment. Employment in the study area is mostly related to agriculture, with 3 455 people employed (Census 2001) and only 82 unemployed. These figures only indicate a trend, as the actual numbers would vary considerably from year to year, depending on climatic factors, agricultural activity and the development of alternative uses on farms, e.g. nature reserves with tourist facilities. Household incomes in the study area are indicative of the employment situation, with the majority of households earning less than R1 500,00 per month. This figure is higher than the average

household income levels for Laingsburg Municipality and the Northern Cape Province municipalities abutting the study area, but lower than that for all the other abutting municipalities in the Western Cape.

ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME None = 13 R1 - 2400 = 23 R2401 - 6000 = 256 R6001 - 12000 = 405 R12001 - 18000 = 390 R18001 - 30000 = 194 R30001 - 42000 = 70 R42001 - 54000 = 42 R54001 - 72000 = 36 R72001 - 96000 = 25


The majority of the population employed in the area, are in the agricultural and elementary sectors, i.e. work as skilled or unskilled labourers in the primary economic sectors. The construction industry and the government sector also employ a significant number of people relative to the population. The mining sector employment is nil, however, the response from the Department of Minerals and Energy indicates that there are numerous mines in the study area.

R96001 - 132000 = 21 I N D U S T R Y R132001 - 192000 = 4 Plant Machine = 81 R192001 - 360000 = 10 Elementary = 2623 Over R360000 = 5 Farming = 2941 Unspecified = 78 Mining = 0 N/A = 14

Manufacturing = 14 Utilities = 0 Construction = 42 Trade = 35 Transport = 52 Business = 9 Social Services = 58 Private Household = 38 Ex Territorial = 0 Diplomatic = 0 NEC = 276 NA1 = 2958 Institution = 136

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Related to employment in the agricultural sector is the security of tenure for farm workers. The Extension of Security of Tenure Act, 1997, Act 67 of 1997 (ESTA), determines how farm workers must be accommodated on farms and the how they can be relocated off the farms in specific instances. The removal of farm workers from farms is a controversial issue, as the farm workers are housed on farms, but when they are removed, they more often than not find themselves “on the street”, without housing. The ESTA statistics for the study area is shown below (data from the Department of Land Affairs). The tables show the towns where cases were lodged, but not all cases originate in the DMA. The table is used to show local trends. The totals in the table refer to all applications, i.e. also to towns not in any way affected by applications originating in the DMA.

SECTION 9(2)(D) NOTICES

This is a notice to the occupier, municipality and head of the Provincial Office of the Department of Land Affairs that indicates the intention of the landowner to apply for an eviction order against the occupier. It is served on the occupier and copies are sent to the Municipality and the head of the Provincial Office of the Department of Land Affairs and will indicate that the owner or person in charge plans to go to court in approximately 2 month’s time to ask for the issuing of an eviction order. It will also indicate the grounds on which the eviction order will be sought

2004 2005 2006 CAPE WINELANDS DISTRICT CAPE WINELANDS DISTRICT CAPE WINELANDS DISTRICTBREEDEVALLEY 22 BREEDEVALLEY 0 BREEDEVALLEY 22 BREEDERIVER 2 BREEDERIVER 8 BREEDERIVER 3 WITZENBERG 1 WITZENBERG 3 WITZENBERG 0 TOTAL 60 TOTAL 60 TOTAL 36

OVERBERG DISTRICT OVERBERG DISTRICT OVERBERG DISTRICT SWELLENDAM 0 SWELLENDAM 1 SWELLENDAM 0 TOTAL 0 TOTAL 17 TOTAL 2 NOTICES OF MOTION

This is a notice to the occupier informing him/her of the landowner’s intention to apply for an eviction order. Often used interchangeably with the Section 9(2)(d) notice.


OVERBERG DISTRICT OVERBERG DISTRICT OVERBERG DISTRICT SWELLENDAM 0 SWELLENDAM 0 SWELLENDAM 0 TOTAL 0 TOTAL 2 TOTAL 6 SECTION 9(3) REQUESTS

These are requests from the Magistrate’s Court or the Land Claims Court for a probation officer or an officer of the department or any other officer in the employ of the state to submit a report within a reasonable period – (a) on the availability of suitable alternative accommodation to the occupier; (b) indicating how an eviction will affect the constitutional rights of any affected person, including the rights of children, if any, to education; (c) pointing out any undue hardships which an eviction would cause the occupier and (d) on any other matter as may be prescribed.


OVERBERG DISTRICT OVERBERG DISTRICT OVERBERG DISTRICT SWELLENDAM 0 SWELLENDAM 2 SWELLENDAM 1 TOTAL 3 TOTAL 13 TOTAL 12

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ccording to the land cover data, the area is covered fairly consistently with shrubland

The broad vegetation types are distributed

A specialist assessment of the biophysical

Biophysical environment. The mining activity and the occurrence of minerals coincide with the land cover data. Those areas indicated as being degraded and eroded in the land cover data are also the areas where the majority of the minerals are found. In addition thereto, the mineral deposits and mines are distributed along the alignment of the Ceres Calvinia Road (MR 355).

Aand low fynbos, with some unimproved grassland and thicket and bushland occurring along the Koue Bokkeveld Mountains.

in the study area according to the rainfall patterns and the geology. The Fynbos habitats are located along the more mountainous areas. The study area incorporates 31 vegetation types (indicative of a wide range of environments and geographical differences) and three water catchment areas, namely the Olifants / Doring River, the Breede River and the Gouritz River.

environment was undertaken by Barrie Low (Coastec). A full report on this assessment is available. The ecological sub-regions in the eastern part of the area (Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor

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(GCBC)) were identified in order to facilitate the conservation planning objective. The sub-regions were identified on the basis of broad bio-geographic criteria. The sub-regions are :

Bokkeveld. This is the region to the north of the natural divide formed by the Doring River. The Doring River separates the Bokkeveld and associated mountains from the Cederberg mountain range and includes some of the associated Northern Karoo plains.

Tankwa. This vast plain and associated mountains occur to the east of the

Bokkeveld mountains. It includes the plains of the Tankwa Karoo and the foothills of the Roggeveld mountains. Geologically the region is separated by the division formed between the Table Mountain Group and the Bokkeveld / Witteberg Groups.

Cederberg Koue-Bokkeveld Complex. This area hosts an incredible diversity of biota

that is critically important for the promotion of species diversification and movement. The vegetation of the area consists mainly of Fynbos in the east, transitioning through to Karroid vegetation in the west. The Fynbos is a habitat to a large number of endemic (range-restricted) bird species. The area also forms part of the Olifants River catchment, which has a high fish endemism (eight species).


s much as

Climate. The rainfall of the area is distributed gradually from south to north, with the driest areas located in the Tankwa Karoo in the north (indicated in the lightest colours) and the wetter areas located along the eastern and the southern edges of the area. The rainfall varies from as low as a 57mm per year average for the Tankwa Area, to a670mm rain per year during winter in parts of the Koue Bokkeveld, which also receives snow. The southern parts around Barrydale receive more rain in summer.

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3.2. Social development issues The following issues were raised or noted, i.e. were submitted in response to public notices or gained from the IDP. These issues will be further investigated and reported on in the planning process.


ural poverty and employment levels. Employment in the rural areas is mainly

iseases of poverty – TB, AIDS, FAS, etc. Due to the extensive nature of the area,

dministrative divisions. The main service centres for the Cape Winelands District

Farm worker housing. Farm workers often live in houses on farms where they are not employed, as they have little or no alternative choice. Farm workers are restricted in the labour market they can access, as they can not sell their skills to other farmers than those where they reside, often with the effect that they are not paid or achieve their worth. Upon retirement, farm workers face a significant reduction in housing quality, as they have to move to urban areas in order to be in proximity of social and medical services, but hey have no housing and are reduced to living in informal settlements or in cramped conditions with relatives. Agriculture is also the only employment sector that has a legal obligation to continue providing housing to retired workers, which is more often than not only possible on the farms, as the local

municipalities do not want to release land to the farmers to provide housing to the retired workers in the urban areas. Houses on farms differ significantly in standard. Some are multiple bedroom houses with internal bathrooms, whereas others are simple two room structures with external ablutions and no running water. Rlimited to the primary sectors (agriculture and mining), whereas individual situation analyses indicated that conservation uses, the construction industry and tourism could potentially employ significantly higher numbers of people and mining is not sufficiently developed. Dthe social conditions and the relatively low standards of living (housing, nutrition, levels of education, income and employment), many residents suffer from diseases that could be described as diseases of poverty. The residents of the area are mostly immobile and rely on health and medical services to reach out to them. If this does not happen, then the effect of the diseases spreads over time and space, with more people becoming affected over a wider area. AMunicipality are in Worcester and Stellenbosch. The DMA residents are far removed from these centres and have to pass offices of the Swellendam, Breede River Winelands, Breede Valley and Witzenberg Municipalities before reaching their service centres. Even the Kannaland Municipality is in closer proximity for some of the residents. Services related to roads, health, electricity and traffic are rendered locally, whereas housing, finance, economic development and land use planning matters must be dealt with at the

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and reform opportunities and projects. Due to the relatively low value of much of

.3. Spatial development issues

he following issues were raised or noted, i.e. were submitted in response to public

llegal development on farms. A large percentage of farmers ignore the regulations

onservation use – nature reserves and resort development. Nature reserves

eres aerodrome. The aerodrome, and others, creates opportunities for establishing

ommercial development along roads. Commercial development along roads

benefit to the entrepreneur.

primary centres, which creates confusion, inefficiencies and leads to undesirable responses. Lthe land in the DMA, it is becoming a focus area for Land Redistribution and Agricultural Development (LRAD) projects. The agricultural potential of much of the land is limited to small stock grazing. The carrying capacity of the Ceres Karoo varies between 60 and 110 hectare per large stock unit (LSU), the Koue Bokkeveld varies between 100 and 120 hectare per LSU and the Little Karoo / Touws River area varies between 60 and 80 hectare per LSU. Thus, to keep an economically viable sheep farm with 1 000 ewes, roughly 8 000 - 15 000ha are required. The Ceres Karoo is too hot and dry in summer and is traditionally a winter grazing area for sheep farmers from the Roggeveld and Koue Bokkeveld, thus it is not a viable sheep farming area. Land values are escalating beyond the agricultural value of the land, due to acquisitions by urban folk seeking weekend breakaway places. 3 Tnotices or gained from the IDP. These issues will be further investigated and reported on in the planning process. Iand legislation relating to building and land use. Thus there are many farms on which guest houses and resorts have been established illegally, where buildings have been erected without building plan approvals and where agricultural practices are in conflict with national legislation (diversion of rivers and streams, infill of wetlands, removal of natural vegetation). Cwithout resort components do not contribute to employment and indeed decrease the number of jobs in an already depressed area. Large conservation areas are cut up by public roads and require special management actions, as the threat of unlimited public access to the conservation areas does no warrant the risk of establishing such areas. Resorts attract larger numbers of visitors and put pressure on the road network, which is maintained for insignificantly low traffic volumes. Cadditional economic activities, gateways for tourists and emergency response centres. The aerodrome, with a gravel landing strip, is not suitably developed or serviced and it is leased to an individual, which does not allow for maximisation of its potential. C

detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the environment if it is not efficiently managed. It does however contribute to the local economic development and the provision of services. Secondary activities related to the commercial development also impacts on the experience of the natural environment to and through which the tourists travel, often with negative affect to the attraction, albeit with some

25


ith negative effect

nappropriate development features – architecture / visual impact. The

s

3.4. Constraints and opportunities

The following constraints and opportunities exist and will be further assessed in the

ural landscapes – cultural and heritage asset. The environment is different

ccess – infrastructure, including road maintenance. Road maintenance in the

Main Road 316 (Ceres-Karoo) south of Karoopoort : 104 light vehicles, 11 heavy

• 36

• l Road 2252 (Ceres-Karoo) at Onder Wadrift : 5 light vehicles (Thursday, 7 September 2000, count period 18 hours).

Road side advertising accompanies commercial development, often won the experience of the environment, albeit with positive result to the tourist, who receives information and the entrepreneur, who draws the visitors. All advertising should be strictly evaluated in terms of the Advertising on Roads and Ribbon Development Act, 1940, Act 21 of 1940. I

attraction of the largest part of the DMA is its largely unspoilt natural beauty and its environmental significance. Development in the area should take cognisance of this and respond accordingly, as in the picture on the left, as insensitive and unsympathetic development detracts from the appeal of the area. Roads and services infrastructure are ensitively designed houses are

as much a detraction, as the buildings.

included in this issue, as insensitive roads that service

process. Rthings to different people, as the higher income urban “breakaway brigade” sees it as their hiding place from anything urban, i.e. they want no services, no activity and a minimalist housing approach. The farmers see the environment as a natural resource to generate an income from. The original residents (mostly represented by farm labourers) see it in different perspective as a resource for subsistence farming, something with economic potential and the place for the preservation of their history. Much of this has common ground and it must be found, to create an asset suitable for all. Aarea is often irregular, i.e. services standards are low, and insensitive, e.g. the un-rehabilitated borrow pits along the roads and large embankments and ditches. Safety barriers (guardrails) need to be installed along some of the roads in places where required according to normal design standards. Signage needs to be upgraded and maintained as it does not contribute to the accessibility of the area for visitors and service providers under current conditions, as illustrated on the photographs below. The traffic volumes on the local roads are low, indicating under-utilisation. The following extracts from the most recent traffic counts indicate the low usage. •

vehicles and 2 taxis (Wednesday, 13 August 2003, count period of 18 hours). Main Road 319 (Ceres-Karoo) off intersection to Southerland / Patatsrivier : light vehicles, 1 heavy vehicle (Friday, 8 September 2000, count period 18 hours). Divisiona

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riod 18 hours).

0, count

• s).

ccess – opportunities / facilities. Access to opportunities relates to the supply of rvices and goods to the

ve their situation to be able to escape the circle of

upport development / economic land use. The atural resources in the area can not be used optimally, due to the lack of services.

• Divisional Road 2250 (Ceres-Karoo) off intersection with Divisional Road 2252 : 13 light vehicles (Thursday, 7 September 2000, count pe

• Divisional Road 1381 (Sanbona / Warmwaterberg) off intersection with Main Road 29 : 41 light vehicles, 10 heavy vehicles (Monday, 6 November 200period 18 hours), with the majority of vehicles moving towards Ladismith. Divisional Road 1405 (Sanbona / Warmwaterberg) off intersection with Divisional Road 1381 : no vehicles (Monday, 6 November 2000, count period 18 hour

Aseresidents. The threshold populations do not warrant large scale development of commercial facilities or retail outlets or social / community facilities. Those residents who do not own private transport, have to travel long distances to towns along roads where there is minimal activity, i.e. no chance for a lift, no public transport and no safe rest areas. The cost of goods is therefore highest for those people who can least afford it. Opportunities for schooling, health services and recreational awho need it most in order to impropoverty. Transport systems for school going children seem not to function efficiently or at all and parents and family must transport the children (even with donkey carts as in the accompanying picture) over long distances to schools without hostels or accommodation for the children. Services – infrastructure to s

ctivities are also far from those residents

nThere is no suitable water or electricity supply to allow for the establishment and development of mines in the Ceres Karoo. Visitor numbers to conservation areas, reserves and resorts in the Ceres Karoo and Touws River Valley (Anysberg) are limited, as road infrastructure is not user friendly. High quality road access is necessary for the transport of products from farms to markets. Water is necessary to support more intensive agricultural activities in more arid areas, as an alternative to current farming practices that cause damage to the environment.

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of the environment. Over grazing pacts negatively on the biodiversity of the area, as it impacts on the natural habitat.

vegetation to become arser and significant habitat change, affecting the biodiversity and ecological

the wer lying plains and valleys are under the most pressure and require the most

the DMA, however, the existing legislation only requires / authorises local uthorities to list Grade 3 heritage resources in a register. The register must be

amely representative of the initial residents (San – rock art) and the agricultural eritage (old stone houses). In addition thereto, the stone walled passes and drifts

Degradation of natural resources – over grazing. The long term permanent use of farms in the Ceres Karoo causes degradationimOver grazing is also caused by animals in conservation areas and leads to erosion and other problems. Over grazing also refers to the killing of trees and shrubs by stocking reserves with inappropriate browsers (kudu, giraffe, rhinoceros). Alien vegetation control. Alien vegetation occurs in most river corridors and on the mountains in the DMA. These aliens cause the naturally occurringspprocesses. This detracts from the natural resource value and attraction of the area. Distribution of nature reserves and conservation areas. Nature reserves and conservation areas cover the more rugged, inaccessible parts of the DMA, whereas loprotection. Heritage resources – identification and protection. There are numerous heritage resources inaestablished in terms of Section 30(5) of Act 25 of 1999. “A local planning authority must, at the time of the compilation or revision of a town or regional planning scheme or a spatial development plan, compile an inventory of the heritage resources which falls within its area of jurisdiction and submit the inventory to Heritage Western Cape. A planning authority may at this time decide to develop a framework, which could be used to determine the local, regional, provincial and national or international significance of each heritage resource or group of resources in its area of jurisdiction.” The two photographs above illustrate the typical heritage resources found in the area, nhcould also be registered as being part of a cultural landscape. REGULATION 43 TO THE REGULATION GAZETTE NO 6820, NOTICE 694, PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE NO. 24893 DATED 30 MAY 2003 Grading system and criteria 43. The criteria to be applied in assessing the significance of a heritage resource are as

follows: (1) Grade I - Heritage resources with qualities so exceptional that they are of special national significance should be applied to any heritage resource which is a) O ing significance in terms of one or more of the criteria set out in f outstandsection 3(3) of the Act;

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b) authentic in terms design, materials, workmanship or setting; and c) is of such universal value and symbolic importance that it can promote human understanding and contribute to nation building, and its loss would significantly diminish the national heritage. (2) Grade II - Heritage resources with special qualities which make them significant in the context of a province or region should be applied to any heritage which a) Is of great significance in terms of one or more of the criteria set out in section 3(3) of the Act; and (b) enriches the understanding of cultural, historical, social and scientific development in the province or region in which it is situated, but that does not fulfill the criteria for Grade I status. (3) Grade III - Heritage resources worthy of conservation should be applied to any heritage resource which (a) fulfils one or mare of the criteria set out in section 3(3) of the Act: or (b) in the case of a site contributes to the environmental quality or cultural significance of a larger area which fulfils one of the above criteria, but that does not fulfil the criteria for Grade II status.

3 ocus group issues and discussions

During focus group meetings specific issues were raised as matters requiring further id not appear in the IDP and were not

ised in response to the public notices, but rather through meetings and discussions

pulation thresholds and growth in the “semi-arid areas” of the district, which cludes the DMA. According to the SDF these areas do not face the intense population

lling facilities, hangars r paved parking. As a result, the majority of the aircraft kept by residents of the Warm

at could serve the ntire area. The aerodrome is located in unrestricted airspace and it is therefore

.5. F

assessment and consideration. These issues draheld in keeping with the approach to the study. Where possible, the issues were further investigated and recommendations relating thereto will be made as part of the planning process. Warm Bokkeveld and Waboomsberg. The Cape Winelands SDF highlights the issue of low poinor urban growth pressure faced by the intense agricultural areas. Instead, “they are faced with the challenge of consolidating development into existing settlements to ensure an effective and efficient settlement and mobile service delivery system” – quoted from CWDM SDF 2005. The Warm Bokkeveld and the surrounding mountains (Waboomsberg, Matroosberg and Gydoberg, the Ceres Aerodrome and the Lakensvlei Dam offer numerous opportunities for the establishment of unique conservation area and facilities, for which there is currently no alternative. The Ceres aerodrome was raised as an issue in the consultation process, however, as it is linked to the Warm Bokkeveld and the Waboomsberg initiatives, it is included here. The aerodrome is the only one available in the area. It is not developed or serviced by any of the essential functions, such as a proper access road, refueoand Koue Bokkeveld are hangared at the Worcester Aerodrome, roughly one hour away from where the owners / pilots live. Indications are that the residents of the Warm and Koue Bokkeveld would be able to use an efficiently managed aerodrome with facilities that allow the refuelling and hangaring of aircraft and general security of use and storage of goods and aircraft, if the aerodrome is suitably developed. The Ceres Skydive Club applied for the acquisition of the aerodrome, in order to privatise it for their use and in order to establish it as an aerodrome theattractive for use by the Skydiving Club and by local users. The Skydiving Club and other interested parties would like to use the aerodrome as it has good access from Cape Town and the Cape Metropolitan Area in general, as well as other bigger centres such as Worcester, Malmesbury and the West Coast towns. The environment within which it is located, namely the Warm Bokkeveld has certain advantages for skydiving

29


A gateway to the conservation areas for tourists wishing to view the conservation to the

Waboomsberg, Matroosberg and other tourist attractions, other than having to drive

d use of local facilities, contributing to the economy of the area ; nd

the and general development of the area. It could also be considered for the pid transporting of fruit and produce from the area.

and other flying activities. The Warm Bokkeveld and more specifically Ceres, offers various amenities and attractions for the Skydiving Club members. These include various options for accommodation, other adventure sport activities and a fairly open environment in which the adventure activities can be practiced. The Skydiving Club also approached the owner of the farm surrounding the aerodrome in order to establish related facilities on the farm, as opposed to the aerodrome, which has limited space. An area of approximately 2 to 3 ha of the farm is proposed in order to erect hangars, club facilities, ablution facilities, a training area and vehicle parking. The Skydiving Club facilities must be established abutting the aerodrome so that there could be direct access from the club to the aerodrome. The Skydiving Club aircraft would be stored in hangars on the farm, together with other equipment that require large storage space. The use of the aerodrome would contribute the following to the area in general :

areas and attractions from the air and as an alternative means of access

in with vehicles ; New development of infrastructure to facilitate the upgrading of the aerodrome ; An additional 30 to 40 visitors to the Warm Bokkeveld over any given weekend and therefore increase

The availability of a Cessna 207 aircraft in the area to assist in emergencies aother activities ; The employment of ground staff and other staff to maintain the facilities ; and

The establishment of a management system for the aerodrome and increased security.

The aerodrome site could be developed to perform a nodal function that would fit with

planning ra

Figure 3: Extract from the 1:250 000 scale Top erg in relation to the larger area. The blue line in the figure represents the boundary of the DMA and the green block arrow indicates the connectivity proposed between the conservation areas.

ographical map series, showing the Ceres Aerodrome and Waboomsb

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The Waboomsberg is the northern boundary of the Warm Bokkeveld and the boundary between the Koue and Warm Bokkeveld. To the north thereof is the Swartruggens Mountain and the Swartruggens Conservancy. Matroosberg is one of the peaks in the Hexrivier Mountains to the east, on the boundary between the Warm Bokkeveld and the Hex River Valley. The Lakensvlei Dam is located in the Warm Bokkeveld and flows through the Hexrivier Mountains to the Hex River Valley. There is no formal conservation area in the Warm Bokkeveld, yet it is endowed with unique vegetation and biophysical attributes. The opportunity exists to establish a larger conservation area, as shown in the figure below, to link the Ceres Karoo, the Koue Bokkeveld and the Warm Bokkeveld through a large conservation area, in keeping with the priorities set out in the biodiversity assessment of the area (Low, 2006) and the input received from the land owners in the area, including residents of the Witzenberg Municipality. The map below shows the statutorily proclaimed conservation areas, i.e. National Parks and nature reserves in the study area. These conservation areas form the basis of some of the spatial proposals recommended below.

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Sanbona. The Sanbona Private Nature Reserve is located in the eastern sector of the DMA, between the Overberg and Eden Districts. It covers 54 000 ha and falls under the jurisdiction of three municipalities, namely the Cape Winelands DMA, Kannaland Municipality (Eden DM) and Swellendam Municipality (Overberg DM). As it is still developing, the administrative divisions create delays in authorisations, with serious financial consequences. The re-delineation of the municipal boundaries is one way of increasing the efficiency of decision-making and also an issue discussed in other focus groups. Another method of improving the administrative efficiency and thus feasibility of the reserve, is by the prior agreement to a development and management plan relating to its physical development. The road maintenance in the area is a problem, as also in other areas. Divisional and Minor Roads are not effectively maintained, which creates major access limitations for


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the tourists drawn to the area by Sanbona and the natural assets. Sanbona and the land owners abutting the roads have taken over the maintenance and management of the roads, in order to prevent illegal activities such as poaching and the removal of plants and animals. This is a significant saving to the roads authorities. Agreement has been reached and approval given for de-proclamation and closure of the north south route to the reserve, Divisional Road DR 1352. DR 1381 and DR 1405 as well as Minor Roads 151 (OP6100), 206 (in Eden District Municipality) and 230 (OP6099) still need to be de-proclaimed and closed, as they are east west passages through the reserve, for which alternative routes exist. The intention is to remove all fences along the roads, to maximise the movement of animals in and between the reserves and the size of the biodiversity corridors, however, the public use of the roads makes this extremely difficult, given the security issues relating to the road users and the need to protect the animals. The roads are often used by the general public for recreational driving of four wheel motor bikes and other undesirable activities in the reserve and on farms. Usable alternatives to the roads exist. The main access to the reserve will be relocated to the Warmwaterberg Road – DR 1381. Cape Nature are considering a long term stewardship option for the reserve. All the heritage resources are recorded and there is an environmental management plan for the reserve. It will thus be submitted to the DEA&DP for classification of the area within an Environmental Management Framework (EMF), as set out in the Regulations made in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Act 107 of 1998. Opportunities are sought for the accommodation of retired workers and qualified young people who wish to work elsewhere. There are no housing opportunities in the surrounding towns and the CWDM should assist in the provision of housing for these people in the adjacent municipal areas. The mobile clinics no longer operate in the area, apparently due to staff shortages. Facilities could be provided for clinic and other services in the reserve, at Boerboonfontein / Nelana or Spitskop, on the Warmwaterberg Road, where it is accessible to surrounding farms. The area is not served with public transport. All the children from the reserve are bussed at the expense of the reserve from the various farms making up the reserve to Barrydale, to attend school. There is a primary school north east of the reserve, at Platdrif, in the Eden DM and one at Akkerdraai, on the R62 in the Overberg DM. Sanbona has a gravel airstrip of 1 200m length that could be used as part of the emergency management system for the area. An emergency management plan is being prepared in conjunction with the CWDM, however there are no public emergency facilities or equipment in the area. Low flying aircraft over the reserve are a problem and as part of the conservation plan / emergency plan, an airspace restriction must be imposed, to enforce a flight level restriction. Low flying aircraft cause negative reactions from larger mammals, such as rhinoceros and elephant, which could cause injury to viewing tourists, when they are disturbed by low flying aircraft. The main culprits seem to be the SANAF (red and white unmarked two seater aircraft). The Bellair Dam is an irrigation resource, owned and managed as a private water scheme by two land owners, namely Amentecgo Farms and Sanbona. The resource is used for land reform purposes, namely vegetable production in Sanbona as the supplier of all fresh produce for the reserve facilities and employees. Sanbona assists the workers in producing the vegetables and then buys the produce for the restaurants and staff use. Other similar opportunities exist in the area. Sanbona and other farms also make use of local businesses for fencing and road management.

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Lemoenshoek. The Lemoenshoek area is located in the extreme east of the DMA and many of the farms lie two or more of the three administrative areas (municipalities) that join at this point, namely the Cape Winelands DMA, Kannaland Municipality (Eden DM) and Swellendam Municipality (Overberg DM). The cadastral units are satisfactorily demarcated, however, the farming activities are not necessarily restricted to the single cadastral units, thus farms operate in more than one municipality and this leads to administrative inefficiency. Farming activity in the area is closely related to the farming in the Breede River Winelands Municipality, i.e. vineyards, orchards and other agricultural activities where services, markets, marketing, planning and production facilities are shared. The farmers would appreciate the delineation of the municipal boundaries in order to reflect the land use and socio-economic connectivity.

Figure 4: Barrydale – Lemoenshoek area. The green double line in the figure represents the proposed demarcation boundaries to simplify the administration of the farms and conservation areas that extend over municipal boundaries.

The delineation would lead to the incorporation of the Lemoenshoek area into the Breede River Winelands Municipality and the re-demarcation of the Overberg DM / Swellendam Municipality, to incorporate the area between the Langeberg and the Warmwaterberg, around Op Die Tradouw and Barrydale into the Breede River Winelands Municipality. The mobile clinics no longer operate in the area. Even though the area falls under the Cape Winelands, it is served by the Overstrand clinic in Barrydale, which further highlights the need to reconsider demarcation of the area. Facilities could be provided for clinic and other services at the local schools, where it is accessible to surrounding farms. There are numerous schools in the farming area, two of which are in the DMA. Schools in the area are focus areas and could generally be used for improved service delivery. The schools are mostly on private land, set aside by the owners for community use purposes. There is a need for sporting facilities in the area and suitable land is available at the schools, to establish sporting facilities that could also be used by the local residents. Grass playing fields suitable for soccer and rugby and netball courts are the primary needs.


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Social services in the area are a problem, as there are insufficient service access points to cater for a low density, immobile rural population. Birth certificates are seldom acquired for children, leading to problems when identity documents must be issued, etc. The people must visit Swellendam and Worcester if they require social services. Due to the rural nature of the area, there is no public transport, therefore the farm labourers must either rely on the goodwill of the farmers or arrange for taxis (normally pick-up trucks with canopies) from Barrydale to transport them to Barrydale or Swellendam. The establishment of a regular service centre in the area or a mobile service would help reduce the problems. The school transport system does not operate desirably. The bus operators are seemingly unwilling to use the gravel roads in rainy weather, for fear of damage to the vehicles. The majority of the roads are not suitable for use by the school buses due to bad maintenance. Consequently, the buses only pick children up along the R62 during the wet periods. High school children must be transported to Barrydale weekly, as they reside in the local hostels and with family. Transport is given by farmers and through the “bakkie-taxi” system. A regular bus service operated by the local residents would satisfy the needs of a large section of the population, as the busses could take children to school at the beginning of the week and bring them back home at the end of the week, to return to the town for business with the paying passengers on a Saturday. The introduction of a bus scheme also creates opportunities for local economic development and skills development, through the training of suitable drivers. A survey of attendees at the focus group meeting indicated that few farm workers who drive heavy farm equipment have the correct or suitable licences, as they use the vehicles on the farms and not on public roads. The road maintenance is a problem in the area, as the Divisional and Minor Roads are not maintained, which creates major access limitations and transport problems for the export produce. Two of the local gravel roads, DR 1354 (Doringrivier) and Minor Road 224 (Lemoenshoek) could be de-proclaimed and closed, as they serve no significant public transport / access function and are used simply by the abutting farmers. The farmers already maintain portions of the roads and are willing to take over full responsibility for the roads after de-proclamation and closure. Farm worker housing is an issue. The farm workers are of the opinion that the housing on farms could be improved. They also fear removal from farms, as there are no alternatives for them, even if they voluntarily leave farms to work elsewhere or retire to the towns. The farmers are under pressure to provide more housing. The farm labourer accommodation keeps growing as people retire and new labourers are employed, as labourers can not leave to reside elsewhere, in view of the lack of alternative accommodation in the towns. The farmers require subsidies to provide satisfactory accommodation with ablutions and proper services on the farms, where some of the housing is of high quality and others are no better than typical subsidy houses in towns. Opportunities are sought for the accommodation of retired workers and qualified young people who wish to work elsewhere. There are no housing opportunities in the surrounding towns and provision of housing in the adjacent municipal areas must be planned. Farm workers on housing waiting lists in the towns get no response from these towns when housing schemes are developed. Tourist facilities and significant resort type development with conservation uses is not a need in the area, however, opportunities exist for such development in old and disused buildings along the R62.

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Farming activity in the area occurs in the valleys, where alluvial soils and irrigation opportunities exist. The river corridors are the only viable options for cultivation, as no land is available in the foothills of the mountains or in the mountains. Agricultural activity has caused disturbance to some of the rivers, e.g. through the deviation of the river courses and an influx of chemicals from the abutting orchards. Suitable river management plans and guidelines and co-operation between all riparian owners and the institutional role-players are required.

Figure 5: Barrydale – Lemoenshoek area farming in the river valleys. The reed lined river is visible to the left front and the cultivated grazing and orchards are visible in the centre and rear of the picture. Conservation groups and Agriculture. The focus group on biodiversity issues were of the opinion that the SDF should be a simple set of guidelines for land use, highlighting areas of importance while indicating the importance of all other land and the area as a whole, as large sections of the study area have not been evaluated in detail. Further evaluation in these areas would be necessary, amongst others to establish how the various parts of the area fit together as ecological units. Socio-economic and administrative linkages between the land and the surrounding area should be established in order to determine how the land owners relate to the surrounding environment and the administrative system. This should lead to proposals relating to the best way to manage and conserve the sensitive areas and those that are threatened, as stewardship programs are not suitable for the area, given the limitations within Cape Nature and the extent of the land in question. Management guidelines for the conservation related land use and zoning of land should be included in the SDF. The SDF should cater for the land owners as much as the local authority, to ensure efficient guidelines for conservation management. Land owners must be made aware of the importance of the ecology and rehabilitation of the study area.


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The following threats were listed from an environmental and ecological perspective :

4 x 4 roads and routes ; Leopard / sheep conflict ; Inappropriate game farming and stocking ; Boegoe and hoodia poaching, harvesting and farming ; Overgrazing ; Dams and over extraction of water ; Alien vegetation ; Mining activities ; Poaching of succulents and game ; Erosion ; Illegal activities such as resorts, camps and 4 x 4 routes on hills, mountain ridges

and along river corridors ; Alien infestation of riverine areas ; Fire management ; and Harvesting of aloes in the Little Karoo area.

Environmental Management Frameworks. In all focus group discussions it appeared that the use of Environmental Management Frameworks (EMF) would improve the efficiency of land use management and create opportunities for conservation of the land in lieu of stewardship agreements. EMF’s could be beneficial in geographic areas where suitable management plans exist, assessments have been undertaken and where decisions relating to the implementation of the aforementioned have been made by the relevant authorities. The specific uses and geographic areas could be authorised in the approval of the SDF with the implementation of an EMF. Extract from NEMA relating to Environmental Management Frameworks 24. (1) In order to give effect to the general objectives of integrated environmental management laid down in this Chapter, the potential impact on the environment of listed activities must be considered, investigated, assessed and reported on to the competent authority charged by this Act with granting the relevant environmental authorisation. (2) The Minister, and every MEC with the concurrence of the Minister, may identify— (a) activities which may not commence without environmental authorisation from the competent authority; (b) geographical areas based on environmental attributes in which specified activities may not commence without environmental authorisation from the competent authority; (c) geographical areas based on environmental attributes in which specified activities may be excluded from authorisation by the competent authority; (d) individual or generic existing activities which may have a detrimental effect on the environment and in respect of which an application for an environmental authorisation must be made to the competent authority: Provided that where an activity falls under the jurisdiction of another Minister or MEC, a decision in respect of paragraphs (a) to (d) must be taken after consultation with such other Minister or MEC. (3) The Minister, and every MEC with the concurrence of the Minister, may compile information and maps that specify the attributes of the environment in particular geographical areas, including the sensitivity, extent, interrelationship and significance of such attributes which must be taken into account by every competent authority. 24B. (1) The Minister may delist an activity or area identified by the Minister in terms of section 24(2).

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(2) An MEC may, with the concurrence of the Minister, delist an activity or area identified by the MEC in terms of section 24(2). (3) The Minister or MEC, as the case may be, must comply with section 24A, read with the changes required by the context, before delisting an activity or area in terms of this section.

Sanbona and the other reserves in the area have been assessed for various purposes in terms of the Environment Conservation Act, Act 73 of 1989 and favourable decisions relating to the expansion of the reserve, the establishment of chalets and tourist facilities, services and resort units were made. The management plan for the reserve, a stewardship agreement with Cape Nature, a heritage asset register and a reserve development plan all formed part of the submissions on which the decisions and authorisations were based. These reports and agreements would also form the basis of the EMF, which would allow for the delisting of the reserve in terms of Section 24B of NEMA. On the other hand, there are various areas of concern in the study area, such as the Tankwa River, the eastern slope of the Swartruggens and the Anysberg area, where there are specific conservation issues that require consideration at a larger scale than applies to site specific land use applications and environmental impact assessment processes. These sensitive areas would have to be highlighted in EMF’s in order to ensure that they are assessed from a strategic perspective, as opposed to a site specific perspective, due to their ecological or other significance. REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF CHAPTER 5 OF NEMA - in terms of Section 24(5) read with Section 44 Part 1: Environmental management frameworks Purpose of this Part 69. (1) The purpose of this Part is to provide – (a) for the Minister or MEC with concurrence of the Minister to initiate the compilation of information and maps referred to in section 24(3) of the Act specifying the attributes of the environment in particular geographical areas; and (b) for such information and maps to be used as environmental management frameworks in the consideration in terms of section 24(4)(i) of the Act of applications for environmental authorisations in or affecting the geographical areas to which those frameworks apply. (2) The provisions of this Part may not be read as purporting to affect the powers of the Minister or MEC in terms of section 24(3) of the Act to compile information and maps specifying the attributes of the environment in specific geographical areas. Draft environmental management frameworks 70. (1) The Minister or MEC with the concurrence of the Minister may initiate an environmental management framework for an area. (2) In order to initiate an environmental management framework for an area, the Minister or MEC must – (a) compile a draft environmental management framework; (b) subject the draft to a public participation process by – (i) making the draft available for public inspection at a convenient place; and (ii) inviting potential interested and affected parties by way of advertisements in newspapers circulating in the area and in any other appropriate way to inspect the draft and submit representations, objections and comments in connection with the draft to that person or organ of state; and (c) review the draft in the light of any representations, objections and comments received.

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Contents 71. A draft environmental management framework must – (a) identify by way of a map or otherwise the geographical area to which it applies; (b) specify the attributes of the environment in the area, including the sensitivity, extent, interrelationship and significance of those attributes; (c) identify any parts in the area to which those attributes relate; (d) state the conservation status of the area and in those parts; (e) state the environmental management priorities of the area; (f) indicate the kind of activities that would have a significant impact on those attributes and those that would not; (g) indicate the kind of activities that would be undesirable in the area or in specific parts of the area; and (h) include any other matters that may be specified. Adoption 72. (1) If the Minister or MEC adopts with or without amendments an environmental management framework initiated in terms of regulation 70, the environmental management framework must be taken into account in the consideration of applications for environmental authorisation in or affecting the geographical area to which the framework applies. (2) When an environmental management framework has been adopted, notice must be given in the Government Gazette or the official Gazette of the relevant province of – (a) the adoption of the environmental management framework; and (b) the place where the environmental management framework is available for public scrutiny.

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4. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT

4.1. Introduction The SDF provides the conceptual spatial aspects of where the needs and priorities highlighted in the IDP and determined through an analysis of the study area are located and what strategies should be adopted to ensure the integration of the different sectors into an efficient and integrated environment. Strategic planning requires the timely and effective intervention of the municipality in cases where the objectives of the municipality are at risk, due to occurrences that :

Prevent the optimal use of the existing resources as a socio-economic base for the area.

Lead to inefficient and insensitive development that affects the agricultural and biodiversity resource base of the area.

Prevents the correction of historically distorted patterns of land ownership and settlement.

Limits the use of the existing infrastructure, roads and transport opportunities. Limits opportunities for the co-ordinated management of large conservation areas by

Cape Nature or any other statutory body. Inhibits efficient land use management and sustainable development.

The strategic direction to achieve the above must lead to short-term impacts on existing development and simultaneously contribute to the long-term sustainability of the DMA. 4.2. Strategic direction Strategically, the DMA SDF must be based on the environmental analysis of the area that will guide remainder of the process. The environment refers to all components thereof, as set out in NEMA. The second strategic component of the DMA SDF is the identification of projects and the establishment of a program for the implementation of the projects. This would make the DMA SDF a usable and practically implementable tool, rather than a policy plan with spatial preferences and no real benefit to the resident community. The consultants, the management team, Cape Winelands District Municipal officials and councillors must be bound by the SDF, as projects should be linked to budgets and priorities and be taken up into the Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

The NEMA principles set out above must and are adhered to and promoted in the DMA SDF planning process, as a means of contributing to the creation of a socially equitable environment and an economically sustainable area, where agriculture, development and conservation share in the resources and have equal importance and are aimed at the creation of an environment within which human beings can sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Growth and intensive activity (mining, agriculture, residential development) in the DMA should be focussed in proximity of public transport facilities and where existing services are available, so as to prevent any further impact on the land in areas where neither agriculture nor development is sustainable with the currently available technology and knowledge. According to the assessments and conservation priority policies of the National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment (NSBA), SKEP, Cape Nature and the biodiversity assessment for the area, the riverine environments and river ecosystems of all rivers in the study area


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are threatened and the critically endangered or endangered, as indicated in the map below. The state of river ecosystems depend on a number of factors, amongst others the occurrences in the rivers, on the river banks and all land throughout the entire catchment, thus all activity that could affect river ecosystems must be managed with the intent to rehabilitate the system. Figure 5: Status of river ecosystems (mainstreams only) (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 2004)

The terrestrial ecosystems of the area are less threatened than the river systems, however, the ecological processes and the biodiversity of large areas are affected by human intervention and potentially by climate change. Thus, significant areas must be conserved. Biodiversity can not be effectively conserved through the establishment of conservation and protected areas alone. It also involves co-operation with land owners and local communities who rely on the natural resources for their livelihoods and entrepreneurs to conserve priority areas and manage the land in a way that maintains ecosystem functioning (DEAT, 2004). Bioregional programs that provide a framework for conservation action (Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE), Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Plan (SKEP)CAPE, SKEP, Gouritz Initiative) focus on broad planning, setting the overall frameworks and guidelines for fine-scale biodiversity planning initiatives in areas of concern. The SDF will therefore highlight the areas of concern and recommend management programs for these areas, amongst others through stewardship programs and the promotion thereof. Stewardship involves land management practices as opposed to strict conservation, including sustainable grazing practices, the of clearing invasive alien species, conserving wetland areas, and preservation of remaining fragments of natural habitat in critically endangered and endangered ecosystems. The cultural value of natural resources and the environment must also be considered, as it is not only development that adds value to the environment, but also conservation of


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that which is of value to the local residents. Such values can only be determined through consultation with the local communities and planning at a local scale.

4.3. Alignment with other planning processes and documents The SDF must be aligned with all other higher level planning processes and documents in terms of the statutory requirements. The following are the most significant of the plans and processes with which the SDF has been aligned and from where proposals were drawn :

Western Cape Integrated Tourism Development Framework, February 2002. In keeping with this document, eco-tourism, adventure, health and fitness and culture were identified as the most significant products of the Western Cape that could be promoted in the DMA. These products require scenic beauty and wildlife, historical, social and political resources, wilderness areas and a challenging environment, spa waters, springs and/or a conducive environment to become competitive. No specific recommendations in the document are applicable to the DMA, therefore the principles and guidelines are used.

Cape Winelands Spatial Development Framework, December 2005. The CWSDF has

wide ranging proposals, summarised in the diagram below. The most significant recommendations are addressed in more detail in the spatial development proposals below. Amongst others, the proposals include the establishment of tourist facilities, hamlets and conservation areas in the so-called “Agricultural Blueways : river corridors, high agricultural potential soil”, “Mountain Greenways : Existing conservation areas, mountain catchments, ridgelines and mountains, remnant indigenous vegetation” and “Wilderness and Extensive Agriculture: Karoo semi-arid plains”, all of which is addressed in more detail below.

Figure 6: Cape Winelands SDF 2005 : Extract of the spatial proposals.


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The Western Cape Provincial Spatial Development Framework, 2005, read in conjunction with the Resort Policy, makes little provision for the establishment of resorts and rural development. It favours the promotion of “agriculture and agro-industry as the main economic backbone together with tourism” for the area, as a broad strategy. It contains numerous detail recommendations which are suitably considered and implemented through detail proposals in this SDF.

A National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP)(October 2004) was released by

the Presidency in order “to achieve the national development vision of a truly united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society and in giving effect to the national growth and development objectives”. It determines that, “due to resource constraints, government will have to make hard choices regarding the allocation of resources between different localities, programmes, spheres and sectors”. This SDF follows a principle of the NSDP that determines that past and current social inequalities should be addressed through a focus on people not places. The NSDP is South Africa’s first set of national spatial guidelines that establishes an overarching mechanism to assist government in confronting three fundamental planning questions: • Where should government direct its investment and development initiatives to

ensure sustainable and maximum impact? • What kinds of spatial forms and arrangements are more conducive to the

achievement of our objectives of democratic nation building and social and economic inclusion?

• How can government as a whole: Capitalise on complementarities and facilitate consistent decision-making? Move beyond mere focusing on integration and coordination procedures to establishing processes and mechanisms that would bring about strategic co-ordination, interaction and alignment?

4.4. Spatial development objectives

In order to optimise the utilisation of the existing resources, certain geographic areas will be highlighted for maximisation of the available resource potential. In keeping with the principles of the NSDP, the geographic areas will be those where the people could potentially benefit most. Inefficient and insensitive development that ignores the aesthetic appeal, potential and resource capacity of specific areas will be made, amongst others a recommendation relating to agricultural activity in the Ceres Karoo, where over grazing is impacting negatively on the biodiversity resource base. Specific strategies will be proposed to contribute to the correction of historically distorted patterns of land ownership and settlement, amongst others by indicating geographic areas where investment should focus for the Land Redistribution and Agricultural Development (LRAD) program. Beneficial use of the existing infrastructure, including roads and transport opportunities, includes recommendations relating to land use along existing transport corridors, where people and the local economy could benefit. Large conservation areas create opportunities for LRAD projects, local economic development and the development of resorts, which would not be possible if individual small farms are used. Thus, the SDF proposals focus on the “bigger is better” approach.

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5. SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK The Spatial Development proposals for the DMA are issue-driven. Therefore, the proposals are structured per issue, where each issue is highlighted, discussed and then linked to a proposal and where possible to a project. Following on the issues, recommendations relating to specific geographic areas are made, as there are diverse areas with unique resource characteristics and each area should be treated differently. 5.1. Rural landscapes – cultural and heritage asset

Introduction. The rural landscapes of the DMA vary, from the typical sandstone formations of the Cederberg, to the outstretched Ceres Karoo plain, the hills and shale covered valleys of the Touws River area, to the fossil rich hills of the Warmwaterberg and the intensely folded Langeberg Mountains of quartzitic sandstone and the Boosmansbos Wilderness area. All these landscapes have developed or been conserved in relation to the available natural resources, with factors such as economics, political intervention and social values playing a role therein. Generally, the rural areas within a radius of roughly 100 - 150 km from the Cape Metropolitan area are under severe pressure for development. Urbanites, searching for a better life in the rural areas, acquire non-viable agricultural units for their lifestyle value, rather than their agricultural potential. Although there is no research to back it up, indications are that the land values have increased by as much as 500 % over the last few years with values of up to R1 500,00 per ha being paid for land in the Ceres Karoo, where generally it is accepted that the agricultural value of land in that area does not exceed R500,00 per ha.


Figure 7: Celebrate the variety. Top left – Anysberg / Touws River valley area. Top right – Ceres Karoo. Bottom left – Touwsrivier farm. Bottom right – Tilney Lodge, Sanbona.

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Various urban uses are also transferred to the rural area, as residential estates, institutional uses such as private schools, commercial activities relating to tourism and housing development occur in the rural areas, away from any significant urban nodes. The National Rural Development Framework prepared by the Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs, indicates that access to natural resources should be broadened, to allow access thereto by those who were previously prevented through political intervention. As part of the move towards sustainable agricultural development, the Department of Agriculture supports “agrarian reform, participation by the widest possible population, income diversification, land conservation and improved management of inputs into the sector”. It deems the degradation of natural resources (land, water and biodiversity) as a threat to the livelihoods of the poor who rely on them for subsistence. The agricultural activity in the rural areas differ as much as the rural landscapes, namely from the intensive cultivation of flood plains and valleys in the Koue Bokkeveld and Langeberg areas to the extensive sheep farming in the Touws River plain and seasonal farming activities in the Ceres Karoo. In addition thereto game farming has an acquired a foothold in the Touws River plain and certain parts of the Ceres Karoo. People view the rural landscape from different perspectives and have different opinions of it, whether it is attractive or not. Human settlement and activity occur in the landscape, giving it a different but not necessarily negative character. Various activities, such as mining, the construction of buildings, the erection of fences, the planting of natural vegetation and the installation of services cause the landscape to be modified. For the poor person living in the Ceres Karoo, the mining activities that create huge scars are of little significance from an aesthetic point of view, as mining creates employment where there would probably have been little other opportunity. To the visitor, this scarring of the natural environment detracts from its aesthetic appeal and causes the visitor not to want to return, thus impacting on other economic activity, such as the tourism potential.

Figure 8: Un-rehabilitated mining activity in the Ceres Karoo.


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The difference between the two is that the mining activity is temporary, whereas the landscape is there for as long as the earth exists, therefore it must be the primary concern and protected accordingly. Proposals. Strategies should be developed to maintain as much of the rural character that initially caused the attraction to the area to be preserved. As a first step thereto, the Guidelines for Assessing Land Use Management Applications in Rural Areas, July 2006, must be implemented. All un-rehabilitated borrow pits along the roads must be rehabilitated, converted into rest areas or screened. The Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism must be asked to intervene and cause all mining sites in the DMA to be rehabilitated or suitably screened. Further clearing or modification of natural vegetation in excess of 1 500m² for the cultivation of land, for mining or any form of development or alteration of the landscape in the Ceres Karoo and the planting of alien vegetation (non-endemic) must be made subject to the preparation and submission of environmental impact assessments, i.e. the Ceres Karoo must become a geographic area listed in terms of Section 24(2)(b) and (c) of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Act 107 of 1998, and / or an ecosystem listed in terms of Section 52 of the National Environmental : Biodiversity Act, 2004, Act 10 of 2004. Projects. Prepare an assessment and a report to have the Ceres Karoo declared a geographic area listed in terms of Section 24(2)(b) and (c) of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Act 107 of 1998, and / or an ecosystem listed in terms of Section 52 of the National Environmental : Biodiversity Act, 2004, Act 10 of 2004. The estimated cost of such an assessment and report is R65 000,00. Prepare environmental management plans (EMP) and environmental management programs (EMPR) for the rehabilitation of the borrow pits and unused mine dumps in the study area where such documents do not exist. Initiate a consultation process with the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) and land / mine owners to have the EMP’s and EMPR’s implemented at the cost of the DME and land / mine owners. Institute legal action against those land / mine owners who do not adhere to the rehabilitation plans and appoint implementing agents to do the rehabilitation of borrow pits (the property of the CWDM) with local labour. The estimated cost of EMP’s and EMPR’s is R200 000,00 and the rehabilitation work could amount to R2,5 million, however, the cost would depend on the recommendations of the EMP’s and EMPR’s.

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5.2. Access – infrastructure, including road maintenance Introduction. The infrastructure of the study area is limited to the provision of irrigation water, electricity and road access. The electricity supply for the entire area is done through ESKOM and in some instances landowners supply their own electricity, predominantly through the use of generators. The supply of irrigation water is managed by Water User Associations and Irrigation Boards and falls outside of the scope of this study. Road maintenance is a significant issue, highlighted in numerous instances in the process. The roads through the study area include national, provincial main roads, divisional roads and minor roads. The national and provincial main roads offer various opportunities, however as these are dealt with at higher order planning levels, they are excluded from the detail of the study. Some issues relating to the R62, a provincial road, are however dealt with in relation to land use management. The main access route to the Ceres Karoo and beyond (Calvinia) is currently a gravel road in a fairly good condition with regular maintenance. From the Calvinia Road, there are two options for access to Sutherland and the remainder of the Ceres Karoo, namely Main Road 319 (MR319) that passes Inverdoorn, Bizaansgat and generally roads along the route of the “old forgotten highway” (Vergete Grootpad) through the pass at Thyskraal. The alternative route is the Divisional Road DR2250 that runs to the Tankwa River in the region of Oudebaskraal and the Tankwa Karoo National Park, from where it continues to the historic and attractive Gannaga Pass or the route to Bo-Wadrif (DR2252) along the Tankwa River to the scenic Ouberg Pass up the Roggeveld Mountain. The Calvinia Main Road, Main Road 316 (MR316) that is a gravel road, serves as a north – south link through the Ceres Karoo, as a tourist route, as access road to the farms of the area and as an alternative to the much longer hard surfaced road, between Calvinia and Van Rhynsdorp (R27) and the N7. Various mines have been permitted in proximity of the road, predominantly for gypsum mining, sodium and other minerals. Few of these mines are operational, due to access and water limitations. The road is suitably signposted and well-travelled. Main Road 319, to Sutherland, via Bizaansgat is known as a liability for travellers, as the shales, siltstone and other road materials are renowned for damaging motor car tyres. Thus, instead of inviting tourists and travellers along the route, they are advised not to use the road, for fear of incurring tyre damage in a fairly desolate environment. Moreover, the road is badly signposted and maintained, increasing the friction factor (resistance to use) thereof for tourists. The same applies to the route along the Tankwa River (DR2250 and DR2252). These roads have significant roles to play in tourism and conservation of the area and should be managed accordingly. Farms along these routes have farmsteads in proximity of the road, where water and communication infrastructure are available and safe havens could be established for travellers. The farms of the Ceres Karoo are typically used for winter grazing by farmers from the Koue Bokkeveld or the Roggeveld, for four months of the year. Thus, for roughly eight months of the year there is no activity on the farms and opportunities exist for the increase in the viability of the farms and lead to the creation of job opportunities. Increased visitor use of the roads offers opportunities for the owners of the properties to establish guest house type accommodation for travellers in co-operation with all the relevant authorities and allow for local economic development opportunities. The main route through the Touws River valley that could be used as a tourist route is the DR1432, that runs parallel to the Touws River, from the town of Touwsrivier to the Warmwaterberg area. It links various conservation areas and nature reserves, through a unique low-intensity agricultural area where extensive fruit farming is the primary

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activity. The Old Rail Route also passes through on the same alignment and the route offers various opportunities for adventure tourism and tourist related development, without the need to establish safe havens. In this general area, it would be sufficient to allow the natural development of tourist facilities along the route on the farms, should the route be promoted as a tourist route, amongst others by the improvement of the maintenance regime and signage. The main roads from Touwsrivier via Ceres and Wellington (TR22/2, TR22/1 and TR23/2) to Cape Town are used by heavy transport to bypass the weigh bridges and the toll gate on the N1. Many of these vehicles are probably over the legal weight limits and the roads were not constructed to carry the volume or mass of the vehicles. Consequently, the roads are structurally degrading rapidly and the heavy vehicles cause conflict with much needed traffic related to the economic activity in the region (agricultural produce and tourism). Public roads through the nature reserves in the DMA create management and conservation problems, especially where predators and other dangerous animals have been introduced. The public roads that have suitable and feasible alternatives should be de-proclaimed and closed, in order to reduce the maintenance costs to the roads authorities and to maximise the conservation and tourism related development. These cost savings could rather be spent on the upgrading of the roads identified as tourist / scenic routes. Farm roads that are being maintained and primarily used by local farmers could also be closed as public roads, to allow for their maintenance and management by the farmers. Proposals. Road signage, road management and regular safe stopping places would contribute to the more regular use and appeal of the roads through the DMA. The roads could be used for alternative activities, such as adventure sports (motor cycling, cycling and bird watching). Fear of the harsh environment and damaged vehicles is probably the biggest single deterrent to travellers to use the roads through the Ceres Karoo. Thus, in order to facilitate the use and increased economic activity in the Ceres Karoo, safe stopping places should be established at approximately 20 km intervals which, at worst, would require a four hour walking period for any person requiring assistance with a damaged vehicle that has been immobilised by punctures. The distance from Karoo Poort, which is the entry into the Ceres Karoo, to Inverdoorn is approximately 20 km, from where it is approximately 45 km to Bizaansgat. Thus, establishing safe havens at Karoo Poort, Inverdoorn and Bizaansgat could lead to a situation where any traveller along the MR319 would be at most four hours walk from a safe haven. From Bizaansgat to Thyskraal is a distance of approximately 20 km, where another safe haven could be established, in proximity of the boundary with the Karoo Hoogland Municipality, where similar opportunities exist. Similar opportunities exist along the Calvinia Road, where Karoo Poort, Inverdoorn and Hartnekskloof could be the initial safe havens. The Hartnekskloof area offers attractive scenery and is the intersection between Divisional Road 2244, linking the town of Op-die-Berg in the Koue Bokkeveld with the Calvinia Road at the Hartnekskloof where there is a permanent water supply and an existing (under utilised and insufficiently developed) camping and picnic stop. From Hartnekskloof to the turn-off on DR2250 is distance of approximately 20 km, from where it is a distance of approximately 20 km to the farm Die Bos, where an opportunity also exists for the establishment of a safe haven. Farm labourers and locals often use the passage of the road through the Ongeluksrivier and Tandskoonmaak-se-Laagte as a stopping place, where there are suitable shade spots and water sources. From there it is a distance of approximately 20 km to Onder-Wadrif, which offers the next alternative.

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A picnic spot / rest area should be established in the vicinity of the Grootrivier or the Klein Droëlaagte, at the intersection of the MR 319 and Servitude Road 165 that connects MR 319 with the Calvinia Road at the Vloere and connects through to Divisional Road 1475. Picnic areas with suitable guard rails (safety barriers) must be established on the existing stopping areas along the Bo-Swaarmoed Road, to accommodate visitors that arrive in the area to view the annual snow falls. Routine Maintenance Contracts (RMC’s) for the tourist / scenic routes must be considered. Road maintenance programs must be reconsidered and maintenance teams must check and repair roads after every rain event. Existing water courses and erosion channels on the roads must be upgraded to prevent serious accidents from occurring, by the installation and construction of suitable inlets and outlets, pipes, culverts with suitable constructed in and outlets or concrete crossings (drifts). All road signage along the indicated tourist routes must be checked and replaced, to provide efficient tourist guidance through the DMA. Signage must include information signs, indicating distances, routes and alternative routes. Guard rails should be installed where required in accordance with normal design standards along the roads. A weigh bridge and traffic control centre must be established on the TR22/2, at the intersection with DR1470, to allow for the management of the heavy transport through the DMA as a bypass to the N1. This should be done in consultation with the Provincial Roads Engineer and the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL). The aforementioned location is the preferred location, should the weigh bridge planned at De Doorns (by SANRAL) be constructed. Should the De Doorns weigh bridge, however, not be constructed, consideration should be given to establish a weigh bridge between Wolseley and Tulbagh on the R43. This will also intercept heavy vehicles by-passing the weigh bridge on the Worcester side of the Du Toitskloof Pass. The de-proclamation and closure of public roads and the establishment of alternative routes must be further investigated and reported on as a specialist input into this SDF, in order to facilitate the closure of DR 1381 and DR 1405 as well as Minor Roads 151 Minor Roads 151 (OP6100), 206 (in Eden District Municipality) and 230 (OP6099) and 231 as passages through a nature reserve, for which alternative routes exist. The de-proclamation and closure of the following public roads must be further investigated and reported on as a specialist input into this SDF : DR 1354 (Doringrivier) and Minor Road 224 (Lemoenshoek). The subsidisation of a public transport project for the outlying areas must be further investigated and reported on as a specialist project following on the SDF process. Projects. Prepare a plan for the establishment of safe havens in the Ceres Karoo. Initiate consultation with the land owners of the properties and facilitate the required rezonings and consents. The estimated cost of the process is R25 000,00. Appoint a transport and traffic specialist to assess the roads and road signage along the indicated tourist routes and make recommendations (including designs) for the upgrading and maintenance of the routes. The estimated cost of such appointment is R500 000,00 and the upgrading could amount to R7,5 million.

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Appoint a transport and traffic specialist to assess the feasibility of a weigh bridge along the TR22/2 and to plan and design a weigh bridge. The cost of such appointment depends on the cost of the weigh bridge and can therefore not be estimated. Appoint a transport and traffic specialist to assess the need for and subsidisation of public transport and driver training projects in the outlying areas, as part of a LED project. The estimated cost of such appointment is R175 000,00.

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5.3. Access – opportunities / facilities Introduction. Rural development and the sustainability of rural areas is dependant on the compatibility of land uses and the environment and the ability of the residents to generate an income to satisfy their need for goods and services. Rural development consists of: • irrigation and dry land farming, • livestock farming, • game farming and conservation, • intensive farming (orchards and vineyards), • subsistence farming, • road related maintenance areas, including accommodation and vehicle service

areas, • eco tourism, • schools and training centres, • agricultural industries, • facilities and services (private cemeteries, waste sites, reservoirs, electricity

lines), • quarries and mines; and • nature reserves and national parks. Sustainability of rural development requires the interaction of the different role-players, namely the private sector employers, service providers and the residents. A sustainable rural community requires optimal utilisation of economic opportunities and the provision of social services. In order to provide cost savings to the residents and the service providers, secondary activity nodes that act as rural service centres must be established. Proposals. Schools offer the best opportunity for the establishment of such centres, as they are the weekly hub of activity for all communities. Additional land must be acquired at schools where there is not suitable land. Sports fields, multi purpose service points (secure three roomed buildings) and retail opportunities must be established at all schools and local residents must be permitted to lease part of the facilities for use as farm shops and craft stalls, while the other part is used as a service point for the municipality, local clinic, social services, home affairs and local councillors. Local economic development projects must be established to provide dedicated public transport services, primarily for school children and secondarily for use by residents on visits to urban areas. The routes for the public transport projects must be resolved with the local residents, however, the major points of service would be Warmwaterberg / Lemoenshoek / Barrydale, Hoek van die Berg / Withoogte / Touwsrivier and Karoopoort / Oudebaskraal. Focus areas for the location of vehicles are : Lemoenshoek, Tankwa Karoo National Park and Hoek van die Berg. Projects. Appoint an economic development consultant to assess feasibility of the establishment and subsidisation of dedicated public transport services at Lemoenshoek / Barrydale area, Oudebaskraal / Tankwa Karoo National Park and the Touws River valley / Hoek van die Berg, in conjunction with the transport assessment of the proposal. The estimated cost of such appointment is R150 000,00.

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5.4. Services – infrastructure to support development / economic land use Introduction. Optimal resource utilisation depends on the provision of services, e.g. dams and irrigation schemes for the supply of water to farmers for the cultivation of crops. Mines and farm worker settlements also require water and electricity. Tourism and high value agricultural products rely on road infrastructure and urban development requires waste treatment and disposal services. These services are all lacking in the DMA. Even though the rural population in the area is small, the inability of government to supply services to the area, for whatever purpose, increases the pressure on people to relocate to urban areas. Development in rural areas, including feasible agriculture, tourism attractions such as nature reserves and social infrastructure, requires institutional development aimed at helping rural people set the priorities in their own communities, amongst others to access funds for them to plan and implement local economic development. It also requires investment in basic infrastructure and social services. Rural development is recognised as crucial for long-term sustainability of human settlement, thus the provision of suitable services should be seen as a priority. The road construction and surfacing material in the largest part of the Tankwa Karoo is not suitable for normal vehicle use. This hinders the economic use of the resources of the area and it should be considered an obstacle to development and the reduction in poverty levels. The road usage figures quoted above, where no vehicles use some of the roads in an 18 hour period, indicate the need for improvement in a situation where the route through the Baviaanskloof, which is marketed as a scenic route, carries more than 60 vehicles per day. Market research into the opening of a route through the Bosluyschkloof and across the Gamkapoort Dam, indicated 25 vehicles per day as the initial load, i.e. perceptions and the marketing approach to the routes need to change to generate traffic and visitor thresholds to support development projects. Proposals. Land redistribution for agricultural development projects, tourism development and agriculture depend on services infrastructure. Special research is required to detail what infrastructure is required and where. However, it is clear that social services must be supplied to the population, in order to create an environment that keeps them in the area. Thus, schools should be used as service centres, as detailed above. In addition thereto, physical infrastructure should be installed to allow for greater flexibility in the development of the area. Roads should be re-surfaced with imported materials less destructive of vehicle tyres, when they are maintained or upgraded. All road works tenders and standard operating procedures should incorporate such material specifications. Priority should be given to the supply of irrigation water to as yet undeveloped, medium and high potential areas. This would require the construction of reservoirs and dams and water supply schemes. It is not suggested that the already stressed rivers be put under further pressure. The existing dams in the area, especially those not beneficially used for irrigation purposes, should be considered for use. The re-use of waste water should be considered where possible and off-stream dams in the Koue Bokkeveld could be assessed. The mines in the Ceres Karoo, along the Calvinia Main Road, MR316, offer an opportunity for economic development, if they can be supplied with the required infrastructure. The road surface must be upgraded, electricity supplied and water provided, if the mines are to be exploited. Exploitation also increases the need for rehabilitation and these two opposing goals must be balanced, as the road is also the main tourist thoroughfare through the area. Mining would attract labour, which requires housing, thus the entire concept must be evaluated and planned, to consider the

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establishment of a minor node in the vicinity of Hartnekskloof, which is located on the intersection of DR2244 (to the town of Op die Berg) and MR316. Projects. A mining feasibility study for the Tankwa Karoo must be commissioned, to determine whether the best utilisation of the mineral resources is desirable and feasible. A services infrastructure development plan must be prepared as a follow on of the mining feasibility study, to assess the feasibility of the establishment of a water supply scheme for the mines, if the mines have the potential to develop. A marketing strategy for the routes through the Tankwa Karoo and along the Touws River must be devised to attract more visitors to the area.

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5.5. Degradation of natural resources – over grazing Introduction. Degradation of the environment and the most important natural resource of the area, namely the vegetation, through the permanent use of farms in the Ceres Karoo / Tankwa Karoo, cause serious degradation of the environment that also impacts on the river systems. Over grazing is primarily caused by farmers stocking inappropriate numbers of livestock on the land. It is also caused by animals in conservation areas and the killing of trees and shrubs by stocking nature reserves with inappropriate browsers (kudu, giraffe, rhinoceros). Large parts of the DMA falls within the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Project (SKEP) area and part of the Central Little Karoo priority area, identified as a global biodiversity hotspot, falls within the DMA. This is the area where agricultural activities concern the planners (PSDF), as the land is increasingly used for the establishment of nature reserves while the river valleys are maintained as intensive farming areas. The vegetation of the area includes more than 60 endemic vegetation types, most of which are subjected to gazing pressures. The biggest concern is the introduction of ostrich farming, which often ignores the carrying capacity guidelines and destroys the original biodiversity of the area. It is generally accepted that the impacts of small stock on the veld could be reversed. However, the impacts of ostriches are mostly irreversible, because of the soil compaction caused by trampling and the resultant lowering plant density. Water infiltration into the soil is also reduced by soil compaction and erosion occurs more readily. Proposals. Agricultural activities fall outside of the responsibilities and functions of a local authority, therefore the Cape Winelands Municipality can not do much to counter the negative impacts of over-grazing and ill considered agricultural activities. The only support that the municipality can give in assisting the Department of Agriculture, which is the responsible authority, is in the consideration of building plans and the provision of services. Plans for buildings associated with the permanent farming of live stock and more specifically ostriches should not be approved until the Department of Agriculture has had the opportunity of commenting thereon. Projects. None.

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5.6. Alien vegetation control Introduction. The distribution of woody alien (perennial) species is largely governed by climate and substrate. The drier, karroid areas of the Tankwa Karoo have localised infestations of Prosopis glandulosa honey mesquite, and this species is spreading throughout its current range. This species is a declared Category 2 invader. These are plants which can be grown in demarcated areas providing there is a permit and that their spread is prevented. Riverine areas are susceptible to invasion by a number of species notably Acacia mearnsii (black wattle) which has and is replacing the natural riverine vegetation. These and other invaders greatly reduce the amount of water flowing in riverine systems, thereby negatively impacting on water available for human consumption and for farming. This species is a Category 2 invader. Other aggressive invaders include Sesbania punicea (red sesbania) (a transformer species) (transformer species, as their name implies, tend to transform habitats in a non-desirable way, e.g. through choking rivers and preventing natural flow – however, this aspect is common to many if not most of the invader species). Arundo donax (Spaanseriet) is becoming dense in many Karoo rivers, particularly in the drier east of the region. Although regarded as a potential transformer in some sources, it is viewed as an aggressive invader which needs to be eradicated as a matter of urgency. Whole river systems have been totally transformed by this species, for example in the Little Karoo around Calitzdorp. Mountainsides in the wetter parts of the area, such as the Langeberg, are extremely susceptible to invasion by Hakea sericea (silky hakea) a transformer species. Many of the Pinus spp. (pine) have been planted in mountain catchment areas and have become invasive. Acacia saligna (Port Jackson willow) invades locally in both montane and lowland systems and is a declared Category 2 invader. A more recent invader of drier, more seasonal rivers and streamlines is Nerium oleander (oleander), which has become a problem in the Tankwa Karoo and elsewhere. This species is termed a special effect weed as it is competitive and poisonous. Populus X canescens (grey poplar) is extremely invasive along river courses and wetlands and is very difficult to eradicate. A declared Category 2 invasive, this species needs urgent attention due to its aggressive nature and the resultant decline in water flows. Proposals. Existing legislation requires all landowners – both government and private – to eradicate and control declared invasive aliens on their land (the Conservation of Agricultural Resources, 1983, Act 43 of 1983, and amended regulations of 30 March 2001). The CWDM needs to take cognisance of this and to promote the benefits of wise veld management through alien control. In particular and where possible, partnerships should be set up with Working for Water (WfW), especially where invasive aliens are diminishing water output from mountain and riverine areas. Links with companies which can employ local labour are to be encouraged and these include WfW and companies which use the wood for charcoal or chip board production. Authorisations for changes in land use and required management plans for owners who possess large tracts of infested land must include a section on alien control. In the final analysis, wise management of invaded natural vegetation must include alien eradication with immense benefits for water release from mountain catchments and aesthetic improvement to landscapes. Projects. Set up a joint initiative with the Department of Agriculture, WfW and land owners to map and describe infested areas. Include the removal of alien vegetation as one of the local economic development initiatives in the economic development policy of the CWDM. The budget could be a fixed amount calculated in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture on an annual basis.

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5.7. Distribution of nature reserves and conservation areas Introduction. Conservation areas, State, Provincial and Local Authority reserves account for only 3.3% of this area although a substantial portion (10.6 %) is either in private hands or is managed through arrangement with formal conservation bodies (e.g. Mountain Catchments and Cape Nature). Tenure of government reserves tends to be good (for example a Provincial Reserve requires an Act of Parliament for de-proclamation). Private Nature Reserves on the other hand require a 60 day notice period for the owner to de-proclaim and their permanence is thus less guaranteed. Extent of protected areas within the Cape Winelands District Management Area (derived from Rouget et al, 2004) (Low, 2006). Protected area Extent (ha) Proportion of study area (%) Mountain Catchment Area 56 774.9 5.3 National Heritage Site 1 646.6 0.2 National Park 11 402.1 1.1 Local Authority Nature Reserve 1.2 <0.1 Private Nature Reserve 53 710.7 4.9 Provincial Nature Reserve (CapeNature)

23 815.7 2.2

Total protected areas (State, Provincial, Local Authority)

35 219.0 3.3

Total protected areas (Mountain Catchments, Private Nature Reserves, Natural Heritage Sites)

114 131.3 10.6

Total protected areas 149 350.3 13.9 Total area 1 076 132.7 100.0 Most of the vegetation types in the area are Least Threatened (LT), with two Endangered (E) (Ceres Alluvium Fynbos and Koue Bokkeveld Shale Fynbos) and one Vulnerable (Ceres Shale Renosterveld). All three are significantly represented in the CWDMA (approximately 40 to 60% of the South African total for these vegetation types) and are also moderately to highly fragmented. A number of studies have dealt with conservation priorities within the CWDMA. The National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment (NSBA) is a broad scale study that focuses on identifying conservation status and priorities for the vegetation types of South Africa. Based on extent of transformation, conservation targets for each vegetation type have been developed and four categories of conservation status set. Thus vegetation types with most of their area still intact and with more than sufficient area to meet their conservation target as set by the NSBA (generally in the order of 30%) are regarded as least threatened (LT). Correspondingly those with most of their area lost or transformed and for which there is less area than that required to set the minimum conservation target are Critically Endangered (CE). Two other categories: Endangered (E) and Vulnerable (V) fall between these two extremes. Most of the vegetation within the CWDMA is of the LT category, with three types (10% of the total) being Endangered or Vulnerable, and this has been dealt with in the Biodiversity Assessment (Low, 2006). The Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Project (SKEP) covers a large part of the CWDMA and large areas fall within the Succulent Karoo Biome. Two planning domains of the SKEP programme, designed to focus on this system, partially overlap with that of the CWDMA. These are the Hantam-Tanqua-Roggeveld and Southern Karoo. They cover most of the CWDMA and testify to the strong presence of varied Karoo systems.

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Systematic conservation planning for the region was based upon biodiversity patterns, ecological and evolutionary processes, transformation of natural habitat, land use pressures and protected areas. Together with inputs from expert mapping, these criteria were used for the setting of conservation targets for biodiversity patterns and ecological processes. Irreplaceability values, the SKEP framework for action and geographic priorities lead to the designation of areas of moderate irreplaceability of 40 – 60% in the study area, mostly occurring in the central eastern and south-eastern parts (western Little Karoo), with a zone of high importance running along the Swartruggens-Tanqua Karoo ecotone and the far north-east of the area, along the Roggeveld mountain range. In the SKEP framework for action, areas which are of key importance are the Swartruggens-Tanqua ecotone and the Roggeveld mountains, geographic priorities which have been based upon ….” the aggregation of high irreplaceability planning units (few conservation options), medium to high land-use pressures, … and the incorporation of spatial components of key ecological processes”. Surprisingly the Swartruggens-Tanqua zone is omitted, despite having received a high irreplaceability rating and possessed few options for conservation. The importance of this zone is reinforced by the work of Low & Pond (2005) who have identified this as a unique “tension zone” for plant speciation as well as a key historical conduit for both humans and mammals between the Cape Fold Belt and Tankwa Karoo. The importance and probable strategic location of the perennial Doring River cannot be underestimated. Most of the CWDMA, with the exception of the north-eastern part, is found within the Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE) project area. A major outcome of CAPE was the development of an irreplaceability matrix to aid conservation planning in the Cape Floristic Region. In a sense CAPE complements the SKEP study with the focus being on Fynbos as opposed to Karoo vegetation. The complementarity is important in, for example, teasing out the more threatened valley systems study for the Witzenberg SDF. For determining conservation priorities in the Cape Floristic Region the CAPE study used a model called C-Plan which is a priority-driven model using a combination of broad habitat units, species and habitat pattern, ecological processes, and the setting of targets for habitat, pattern and process representivity. Unlike the SKEP study, CAPE provides little support for priority conservation in this area, with most parts, except for localised corridors, falling within 0 – 20% irreplaceability. A few localised areas of >60 – 80% irreplaceability are found in the western Little Karoo and the eastern Ceres Valley. Cowling et al.’s (1999) study probably fell victim of incomplete datasets as this project also failed to identify critical conservation priorities on the Saldanha Peninsula and Northern Sandveld. Both these areas are now being subjected to fine-scale planning by CapeNature (Kerry Te Roller, pers.comm.). As with the CAPE project, the Table Mountain Group Aquifer study – ecological importance - did not include all of the CWDMA. Rather, as its title implies, it was confined by the distribution and extent of the Table Mountain Group, and this excludes the northern and north-eastern parts of the CWDMA. The emphasis of the study’s approach was somewhat different from that of CAPE, where a model was developed which used six key factors within individual vegetation types to prioritise areas of ecological importance. These were size (and therefore degree of susceptibility to disturbance), degree of transformation, edge effect, degree of natural fragmentation, degree of artificial fragmentation and presence of ecological processes and/or gradients. The study found the area in general to have greater ecological importance than that in the CAPE project, with much of the region of >40 – 60% and even >60 – 80% importance. Four areas of >60% importance and falling within the CWDMA were

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identified for the TMG Aquifer study: the Swartruggens (linked with Tankwa Karoo), Kouebokkeveld-Great Karoo corridor, the Anysberg-Waboomsberg corridor and Western Little Karoo, with the Koo Valley lying just outside the south-western extremity of the CWDMA, and a small section of the Langeberg just crossing the CWDMA boundary and the Witteberg-Anysberg sub region just entering the eastern boundary of the CWDMA. The CWDMA covers much of the southern part of the Tankwa sub region of the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor (GCBC), one of four sub regions recognised for the GCBC. The area is dissected by the Doring River and its tributary, the Tanqua. Although the GCBC report represented a synthesis of previous studies, it not only highlighted the importance of the Tankwa sub region, but also emphasised the role of the significant ecological gradients in the area. The Gouritz Initiative (GI) covers a large part of the south-eastern arm of the CWDMA, in what is referred to as the Western Little Karoo Management Sector (MS2) of the GI. Methodology for determining priority areas was simpler than that of the CAPE study above, but with more attention paid to understanding the unique vegetation of the region. MS2 is the most arid of the management sectors, containing 20 different vegetation types, 12 of these being endemic to the Gouritz planning domain. This sector, among other, includes unique western Little Karoo and Renosterveld communities, quartz patches and shale koppies. The inland Karoo mountains (Witteberg/Anysberg to Swartberg) form an important west-east corridor. Unlike its predecessors (the CAPE and SKEP studies), the GI does not provide irreplaceability values and therefore a measure of conservation importance. Rather it identifies sites of biodiversity and ecological uniqueness, coupled with threats facing the different sub regions. Key threats facing the Western Little Karoo and environs include loss of succulent karoo and renosterveld to agriculture and associated soil erosion, impacts of wild flower picking on mountain fynbos, inappropriate fire management practices and alien vegetation, particularly along rivers. Apart from Ceres Alluvium Fynbos (Endangered), Ceres Shale Renosterveld (Vulnerable) and Kouebokkeveld Shale Fynbos (Endangered), the rest of the vegetation types of the CWDMA are Least Threatened (Rouget et al., 2004). Correspondingly formal protection status for the area is a low 3.3 %. However, areas of significant biodiversity and ecological importance occur in a number of localities throughout the area and include the Swartruggens-Tanqua systems and ecotones, the Roggeveld, the Western Little Karoo and the corridor stretching between the Kouebokkeveld and inland Karoo mountains and associated Great Karoo. All of the conservation planning studies dealt with in this report are of a scale too coarse to enable detailed conservation planning. Rather they provide a context for such planning but require fine scale assessment, an approach being employed by CapeNature for a number of key areas including the Saldanha Peninsula, Nieuwoudtville plateau and the northern Breede River valley (Kerry Te Roller, pers.comm.). The CWDMA provides an interesting irony if not dilemma for conservation: although most of the vegetation of the area is Least Threatened, formal conservation is inadequate. In addition no vegetation type is endemic to the area, unlike the Gouritz Initiative planning domain where 30 of the 64 vegetation types are endemic (vegetation type endemicity might create an obligation for a local municipality to manage a natural system which is found nowhere else!). In the Witzenberg SDF area, three vegetation types: Breede Shale Fynbos, Ceres Alluvium Fynbos and Kouebokkeveld Shale Fynbos are near endemics, whilst the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve possesses three endemic or near-endemic vegetation types. Of the national total, highest proportions of

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remnant vegetation within the CWDMA (see above) are Swartruggens Quartzite Fynbos, Ceres Shale Renosterveld, Montagu Shale Fynbos, Ceres Alluvium Fynbos and Little Karoo Quartz Vygieveld. Assessment of impacts in parts of the area might also misrepresent the current status quo. For example the Tankwa Karoo has suffered severe degradation from a combination of drought (notably the 2003/2004 season) and heavy grazing. Thus, whilst extensive parts of the Tankwa Karoo’s vegetation types still remain, their quality has probably deteriorated over the years, despite the claim by Driver et al. (2003) that only 5% has been overgrazed. This figure needs to be tested by rigorous assessment. Proposals. The CWDMA sits at a several crucial juxtapositions of Fynbos and Karoo systems. These are to be found along interfaces between the Swartruggens and Tankwa Karoo, Tankwa Karoo and Roggeveld and Langeberg/western Swartberg inland mountain complex and Western Little Karoo. The other key habitat is that of the inland shale valleys which were identified by Low & Pond, 2005, for the Witzenberg SDF conservation plan as being of critical importance for both rarity as well as poor conservation status. Here a complex of Ceres Alluvium Fynbos, Ceres Shale Renosterveld and Kouebokkeveld Fynbos is found in the south-west of the CWDMA, i.e. between the upper Riet (Houdenbeks-Winkelhaaks) River system and the southern slopes of the Waboomsberg. A further difficulty with broad scale conservation planning initiatives is that Least Threatened vegetation types do not consider natural rarity. For example although Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos is regarded as Least Threatened, localised rarity in the form of plant communities with low coverage is present in several parts, inferring that fine scale analysis is also required to establish the presence and location of such rarity. Conservation priorities for the Cape Winelands District Municipality need to include strategic approaches such as collaboration with existing conservation agencies, key eco-tourism initiatives and mechanisms designed to minimise negative and unsustainable agricultural practices. Projects. None.

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5.8. Heritage resources – identification and protection Introduction. People relate to their cultural roots and to history. Therefore, protection and conservation of cultural resources contribute to the well-being and social cohesion of communities. The quality of life in many rural communities is enhanced by the cultural resources that occur in the area as a reminder of the history of the community. Unfortunately no resources were “discovered” in the planning process of the SDF. An inventory of the heritage resources which falls within the DMA is limited to the existing known resources, such as rock art sites at KaggaKamma, Sanbona, the hills north of Touwsrivier and the Matroosberg area. There are other resources that are known but can not be geographically defined, such as the San ways of live and names for places in the Tankwa Karoo, the forgotten highway from the Cape to the Highveld (Karoopoort to Bizaansgat), the life of the slaves that contributed to the culture of the region and the history of the pioneer farmers. Proposals. The known cultural and historic resources must be described in a dedicated study and mapped, to enable the residents of the area, tourists and decision-makers to have a source of reference from which to plan activities, projects and visits Projects. Commission the preparation of a heritage resource register in conjunction with the South African Heritage Resources Agency and Heritage Western Cape.

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5.9. Farm worker housing Introduction. Farm worker housing on farms is mostly at a higher standard than subsidy housing in urban areas. The houses on the farms are mostly larger and better provisioned than subsidy houses, however, there are numerous houses that could be improved. The required improvements mostly refer to the addition of bathrooms and ablutions, maintenance work and electricity. Funding for upgrading is available from the municipality, however, not all farmers are aware of this and opportunities are thus lost. Farm workers that leave farms, whether in retirement or as career moves, have no alternative housing available to them, unless they relocate to other farms. In instances where the farm workers are retrenched or retired, they qualify for Settlement and Land Acquisition Grants (SLAG) from the Department of Land Affairs (DLA). SLAG funds (currently R16 000,00 per person older than 18 who has not yet received any housing subsidy or grant from the state and who earns less than R1 500,00 gross per month) are available to workers even if they voluntarily leave farms to work elsewhere or retire to the towns. These funds are however of little value to most of them, as there are often no housing alternatives on which to spend the grants in the adjacent towns. B Municipalities do not cater for these farm workers, are they are under pressure to supply housing to their urban residents who live in informal settlements and with other households on multiply occupied erven. In many instances there are insufficient bulk services to allow for further development of houses in the adjacent towns. In addition thereto, the funding priorities of the Provincial Government in terms of the PSDF and other policies do not favour the establishment of houses in towns with no growth potential, which means that farm worker housing options become even more compromised, as the farm workers can not relocate off farms to small towns and sell their skills from there. In summary, there are three categories of farm workers to cater for in housing, namely: the retired farm workers who need to have access to social and medical services; active farm workers with incomes above the SLAG limits and skills that can be sold in the labour market; and farm labourers who have been put off farms and need housing. Proposals. Farm workers must be treated as a special category of housing beneficiaries in urban areas, as they already are on farms in terms of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, 1997, Act 67 of 1997. The municipality must cause all state institutions and planning authorities involved in the supply of housing to acknowledge this and to amend their policies accordingly. The municipality must engage with the municipalities that administer the towns of : Ladismith (Kannaland), Barrydale (Swellendam), Montagu (Breede River Winelands), Touwsrivier (Breede Valley), Op-die- Berg, Prince Alfred’s Hamlet and Ceres (Witzenberg) and ensure that land is set aside for the establishment of farm worker villages / neighbourhoods or erven dedicated to the provision of farm worker housing. Simultaneously, a survey must be done of all farms in the area, to establish a farm worker housing waiting list, based on all farm workers who wish to relocate to towns from where they can sell their services and all farm workers who will retire within five years. This waiting list must then be updated annually through receipt of beneficiary lists from farmers. Bridging finance must be supplied to the B Municipalities listed above, in consultation with the Department of Land Affairs, to service dedicated erven for farm workers and create farm worker villages / neighbourhoods in the towns closest to the farm workers requiring accommodation.

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Sectional title farm villages with limited extent must be permitted on farms in proximity of major roads and transport networks, water resources and schools, where farm workers could reside with security of tenure. A planning and development project for such villages must be initiated. Projects. Identify and plan land for housing projects and specifically one or two regional old age homes at Ladismith (Kannaland), Barrydale (Swellendam), Montagu (Breede River Winelands), Touwsrivier (Breede Valley), Op-die- Berg, Prince Alfred’s Hamlet and Ceres (Witzenberg), in consultation with the local municipalities.

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5.10. Rural poverty and employment levels Introduction. Rural poverty in the DMA is not immediately visible when visiting the area. However, the analysis of the population income levels and consultation with the resident communities indicate serious cause for concern. The lack of public support infrastructure further exasperates the situation, as the poorest residents, most of whose 2001 monthly household income was less than R1 500,00 per month. Residents occupy periodically or seasonally inhabited farms or weekend retreats for non-farming land owners. This leads to them having to fend for themselves when accidents occur, household members are taken ill or children have to be taken to or fetched from school. Such basic transport over long distances erodes their meagre income and ability to source goods and services. It also prevents them from searching alternative employment or training to improve their situation. This “rural life” perpetuates the poverty in the rural areas. The strongest attraction of the area is its expansive environment with unique bio-physical qualities. The area is however not frequented by visitors or higher income residents that contribute to the flow of goods and services, levels of employment, cultural exchanges or other economic opportunities. Thus, as a very first step to improving the situation, the area must be opened to visitors. To this end the CWDM initiated various studies, to identify opportunities and to development projects that would diversify the attraction of the Cape Winelands District. These include : • Branding the Cape Winelands; • Development of a range of arts and crafts producers, that can sell their goods

locally and via export conduits; • Establishment of a services industry related to transport (discussed under the

access to services heading, paragraph 5.3, above); and • Creating an experience related tourism attraction in the area. The arts and crafts centres envisaged for the area require accessibility, which is one of the limiting factors of the DMA. This must therefore be one of the primary objectives of implementation of the SDF, namely to open the area and make it more accessible. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) annually funds such projects, as they contribute significantly to improving the economic plight of rural communities. Proposals. Information nodes, combined with arts and craft centres and other tourist attractions must be established at the entrances to the DMA. The purpose of the nodes would be to provide sufficient information relating to local tourist facilities and attractions and opportunities for the informal business to advertise and promote their goods and where applicable their services in a focussed and cost effective manner. These nodes should be located at stopping places for motorists along the major roads and towns around the DMA (Montagu, Ceres, Dorp Op-die-Berg, Calvinia, R62 at Ladismith, N1 at Touwsrivier), at town entrances or at filling stations and rest and service areas along tourist routes. The nodes must consist of a tourism information section, sponsored advertising for the informal businesses and arts and craft centres, picnic areas, refreshment kiosks and arts and crafts and product stalls. The tourist information nodes should be designed as visual attributes that will immediately attract the attention of passing motorists, but not be aimed at the passing motorists. Advertising space for the informal sector must be provided free of charge, while advertising space for other businesses should be provided at a fee to cover sponsorship of the informal businesses. All information nodes should have fulltime managers and the necessary security personnel, who are knowledgeable as tourist information

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suppliers. These nodes must also be used for marketing of the routes through the DMA and be highlighted in the marketing strategy as information and management kiosks. Tourists could then “report in” at these nodes, and if they wish “report out” at any other node or a tourist destination in the DMA, to give them a sense of safety along the route, where their presence in the area is known of in case of an emergency. Projects. A generic design of an information node must be prepared and costed, to allow for the submission of a fund application to the DEAT. Such a design would require marketing and architectural input.

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5.11. Diseases of poverty – TB, AIDS, FAS, etc Introduction. The diseases of poverty require constant monitoring and treatment, failing which they tend to spread more widely and become resistant to treatment, as is the case with Tuberculosis (TB). The lack of resources in the health sector is working against the effective treatment of these diseases, as mobile clinics do not operate in some areas of the DMA. Residents do not have the means to travel to the urban clinics and thus the regular provision of mobile clinic services is a major issue in the treatment of these diseases. Basic health care services could also be provided by trained volunteers if there are facilities available at specified centres, such as secondary service nodes. Schools are the focus points of the community, albeit that the schools are not necessarily in the DMA. Many of the DMA residents are serviced from and by adjacent municipalities. Proposals. Mobile clinics and clinic services must be reconsidered and planned, to ensure efficient service delivery at secondary nodes in the rural areas. Clinic services and stores must be established at schools at the proposed multi purpose service points. Abutting municipalities and the provincial health authorities must be engaged to ensure that the health services are also provided at secondary nodes to be established in the surrounding municipalities / areas and that equal standards apply throughout the Western Cape. Projects. The establishment of service centres that would resolve many of the issues relating to health services is discussed in paragraph 5.3 above, where schools are used as nodes for the provision of services.

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5.12. Administrative divisions Introduction. The outlying DMA residents in the Lemoenshoek and Warmwaterberg area are far removed from municipal service centres and have to pass the offices of other municipalities, in order to reach the Cape Winelands service centres. In addition thereto, the service delivery by the CWDM was repeatedly questioned, as road maintenance and health services, building inspections and planning services did not function satisfactorily. The activities in and character of the rural area relate to the Breede River Winelands Municipal area, therefore the request was made that a re-demarcation of the municipal boundaries be considered, to amend the boundaries of the Swellendam and Breede River Winelands Municipalities as well as the Overberg and Cape Winelands District Municipality boundaries. Such re-demarcation is possible and must be initiated by the residents, as was done in this SDF planning process, or the by the municipality. The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998, requires that the Municipal Demarcation Board assesses the capacity of a municipality when its boundary is re-determined or when so requested by a MEC responsible for local government. The capacity of all district and all local municipalities is assessed annually. This process commences in July and could be used as the starting point for consideration of the re-demarcation of the affected area. The re-determination of a municipal boundary is followed by the publication of Section 21 (of the Municipal Structures Act) notices in the relevant Provincial Gazette. In the notice the public is invited to submit written objections to the Board’s re-determination of the municipal boundaries. Such objections must be submitted within 60 days of the date of publication of the notice. After the period for objections has lapsed, the Board will consider all objections with a view to either confirm, vary or withdraw the re-determination. The final decisions of the Board will then be published in the relevant Provincial Gazette. Cases confirmed or varied by the Board, are then be forwarded to the Independent Electoral Commission, to publish its views in terms of Section 23 of the Act. If the Electoral Commission is of the view that the boundary determination: (a) will affect the representation of voters in the council of any of the municipalities affected by the boundary determination, the determination takes effect from the date of the next election in the area concerned; or (b) will not materially affect the representation of voters in such council, the determination takes effect from a date determined by notice in the relevant Provincial Gazette by the MEC for local government in the province. The Electoral Commission, within 60 days after having received the particulars from the Municipal Demarcation Board, must make known its view by notice in the relevant Provincial Gazette. The MEC for local government in the province must publish the notice on which the boundary change becomes effective, within three months of the date of the notice published by the Electoral Commission. Proposals. It is proposed that the re-demarcation of the area on the eastern edge of the DMA be considered and that the re-demarcation process be followed up on by the CWDM, as a response to the request by the rural residents. Projects. None.

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5.13. Land reform opportunities and projects Introduction. Land reform refers to the Land Redistribution and Agricultural Development (LRAD) program, implemented by the Department of Land Affairs. The LRAD program was designed to: provide Coloureds, Indians and Africans (referred to as Blacks in the program material) with opportunities to own agricultural land; assist rural people in improving their standard of living; and to ensure more effective use of available agricultural land. The LRAD program must assist Blacks to gain access to agricultural land, for use and ownership. The State provides a grant to a beneficiary, who does not need to repay it. However, it is expected of applicants to provide an own contribution of at least R5000,00 in cash, sweat equity / labour or farm implements. The larger the contribution by applicants, the larger the LRAD grant. Grants may be used for land acquisition, investment in infrastructure, production input and land improvements in instances where applicants already own land. The grant may be used for leasing or buying land. Thus, the project is fairly flexible and clearly aimed at land redistribution, i.e. creating land ownership opportunities for Blacks. Land use for agricultural purposes depends on the potential of the land. The potential of the land in the study area varies from land suitable for high intensity irrigation farming to land that is entirely not suitable for agricultural use, i.e. land that should be used for biodiversity conservation purposes only. The PSDF raises the issue of agricultural activities in river valleys and the consequential degradation of the rivers. The nature of the topography and the resource availability in large parts of the DMA however leaves no choice for farmers but to use the river valleys and to introduce expensive methods of resource protection, making it impractical for small farmers to attempt farming in these areas. The recent and predicted high intensity rain events, which caused regular and severe flooding and consequential damage to land and infrastructure, indicate the vulnerability of farmers along river courses. Many of the farmers had to incur extensive capital expenditure and will again in the foreseeable future, to maintain their agricultural resources along the rivers. This is beyond what could reasonably be expected of small farmers or beginner farmers to manage, as it is an unnecessary drain on resources. Livestock and other low intensity / extensive farming activities could be practiced in the less favourable areas, as the farms typically cover large areas of mountain land, used for the keeping of some live stock and as a water source for the intensive activities in the river valleys. LRAD projects consisting of joint ventures and cooperative farming on the extensive portions of farms could be considered as a means of achieving the goal of land redistribution. The focus must however be on extensive farming and land ownership, as the natural resources of the entire area are threatened by over-utilisation. Specifically in the Little Karoo, but gradually occurring all over the area, a serious threat is posed by groundwater abstraction for intensive agricultural activity. Groundwater is part of the hydrological cycle and is linked to the overall groundwater resource available in aquifers. The headwaters of rivers in the mountains are thus linked to the wells that produce irrigation water in valleys via geological formations. If the water level in the aquifer drops due to excessive draw down (pumping / extraction), it will draw water from the headwaters, which will then reduce the volume of water released as surface water in the headwater catchment and permanent rivers become seasonal, depending on surface run-off in the rainy season. Proposals. LRAD projects should be considered in keeping with the resource potential of the area and not necessarily focus on agricultural activity. Beneficiaries should be allowed to also enter the land ownership projects and the conservation and tourism

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industries through LRAD projects. The following map illustrates broadly where different opportunities exist, using rainfall, land cover and topography as the main indicators.

Projects. None.


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5.14. Illegal and inappropriate development on farms Introduction. The majority of the farms surveyed in the process had illegal structures and development. These illegal uses are not all in conflict with statutory guidelines and policies, e.g. legally permitted use buildings, such as dairies, pack sheds and houses were erected without building plan approval. The illegalities are mostly related to non compliance with administrative actions. There are also a significant number of illegal activities in the DMA. These range from the illegal development of resorts to the canalisation and diversion of rivers and stream, the construction of dams and the clearing of land for cultivation and infilling and destruction of wetlands. Such illegal activities should be followed up and management actions should be taken to mitigate against their negative impacts. However, the matter could be dealt with through more efficient service delivery and the establishment of service points in proximity of the consumers of such services on the one hand and the stringent and consistent implementation of policies, guidelines and regulations on the other. Mountains, hills and ridges are obvious topographical and geological features in the landscape, elevated above the surrounding landscape. These are all attractive for the establishment of 4x4 trails, the construction of guest accommodation and even weekend homes. 4x4 trails and farm roads, resort units and chalets and farm buildings, including houses, are built in visible locations to increase their attraction, without consideration of the effect from the perspective of a third party. The majority of the unmodified landscape features in the DMA are of high conservation value because of their biophysical characteristics and due to their scenic and aesthetic worth. They may also have significant value from a cultural point of view (e.g. as places that offer a wilderness experience or that have significance in terms of traditions and rituals). Any modification of the environment threatens the experience thereof by others and has an affect on biodiversity. Modifications must be done cautiously and subject to very specific guidelines. As a matter of principle, all roads in rural areas (i.e. the entire DMA) should be seen and managed as areas of maximum control for outdoor advertising signs and development in proximity of the roads, in keeping with the regulations and principles of the Advertising on Roads and Ribbon Development Act, 1940, Act 21 of 1940. Proposals. The Guidelines for Assessing Land Use Management Applications in Rural Areas, July 2006, must be implemented in the DMA and the zoning scheme must be amended to create suitable zoning conditions to allow sensitive development, while limiting development in proximity of sensitive environmental features such as slopes, wetlands and rivers. Farmers and rural communities should be assisted with the establishment of conservancies and contract nature reserves, the preparation of management plans for the conservation areas and the planning of development on the farms (inside or outside the conservation areas) as a means of diversification of rural activities and local economic development. Projects. None.

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5.15. Conservation use – nature reserves and resort development Introduction. The river corridors and plains are the primary agricultural resources for cultivation in the DMA. Generally, in the Western Cape, river corridors create essential opportunities for conserving and linking a variety of conservation worthy areas, as they consist of terrestrial and aquatic environments with habitats for invertebrates, fish, reptiles and mammals and wetland and riparian vegetation. The factors that influence river systems vary spatially and temporally, therefore it is extremely difficult to manage, as the climate, geology, geomorphology, soils, vegetation, habitat modification by humans and species occurrence are modifying factors to consider. None the less, river systems in general ought to be retained, protected and used as biodiversity corridors, amongst others by the establishment of activity buffers along all rivers in a manner permitting their unaffected functioning as ecological resources. These buffers must also apply to agricultural activity and incorporate biodiversity corridors that support other ecological functions. River corridors have the potential to support substantial tourism and recreational opportunities, such as camping, fishing, bird watching and nature photography. However, the exclusion of river corridors from intensive agricultural activity would effectively reduce the agricultural potential of the farms along the rivers and require other means of income generation to make up for the losses incurred by the exclusion of the corridors from agricultural activity. The proposed efforts for conservation and management of the natural resources and biodiversity corridors must derive from a set of clear objectives, mechanisms for action and commitment from all stakeholders. Apart from this, halting the process of degradation and species loss requires specialised solutions and an understanding of ecological processes that fall outside the scope of this SDF, but would have to follow as part of the proposed biodiversity management plans, i.e. an extension of the SDF. Protecting biodiversity does not merely involve setting aside land as reserves or conservation areas. Instead, all the ecological processes that have maintained, and must in future maintain the area's biodiversity, such as predation at all levels, pollination, parasitism, seed dispersal, aquatic filtration, breeding and nesting, involving complex interactions between several species of plants and animal, must be ensured. This would only be possible if nature reserves and conservation areas are extended to be large enough to maintain these processes or if links are established between the reserves and conservation areas through biodiversity corridors. Conservation areas should be created in such a way as to preserve and link a diversity of habitats. The purpose thereof is to encourage animals to move from one area to another as the situation requires and to allow the maximum natural processes in the designated areas. Most farmers and rural communities are in favour of the establishment of large conservation areas. These conservation areas should however contribute to the local economy through the establishment of resort facilities and holiday accommodation, i.e. short term tourist accommodation and long term owner occupied holiday homes. The resort development could generate the funding required for the establishment of large conservation areas and the exclusion of the land from agricultural activity. Opportunities for such large conservation areas and resort development exist in the Warm Bokkeveld, linking the Swartruggens conservancy with the Waboomsberg, Lakensvlei Dam, Karoo Poort and up to Matroosberg and the existing Bokkerivier Nature Reserve.

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THE CAPE NATURE PROGRAMS AND TERMINOLOGY EXPLAINED CONSERVANCY - Voluntary conservation area with no legal status. PRIVATE NATURE RESERVE - Nature reserve on private land proclaimed in terms of the old Western Cape Nature Conservation Board Ordinance, 1974. New ones are no longer being proclaimed as the new stewardship options will now be used. BIODIVERSITY AGREEMENT - Stewardship option offered by Cape Nature for private landowners, which has legal status but has a finite, medium-term duration. CONTRACT NATURE RESERVE - Legally recognised contracts on private land to protect biodiversity in the long term, entered into with Cape Nature (or relevant provincial conservation agency). FRIENDS OF THE WCCSA - People who do not own land but are pro-conservation and support the aims and objectives of the association. Stewardship options (land owners retain full ownership of their land) are tailored to the specific needs of the landowner(s) and the aims of the conservation program. It could be applicable to a group of properties, a property or a portion of a property. The three options were originally referred to as contract nature reserves, co-operation agreements and conservation areas. They are now incorporated into the above categories, depending on the conservation priorities, proximity to nature reserves, size and ecological processes. Land with threatened, rare or endangered habitats is designated for the highest conservation status. Land owners get assistance with conservation management, fire management, alien control, advice and marketing if they enter into any of the above agreements.

Proposals. A Biodiversity Management Plan, for the proposed large Warm Bokkeveld conservation area must be prepared and presented to the MEC in keeping with the requirements of the National Environmental : Biodiversity Act, 2004, Act 10 of 2004. A joint technical working group must be established, to plan the proposed conservation area in consultation with all the relevant authorities, so that resort development opportunities can be included in the management plan. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry must be approached to assist with the preparation and implementation of a generic river management plan for all rivers in the DMA or specific river management plans for individual rivers, as a first step to the establishment of river biodiversity corridors through the DMA. The zoning scheme must be amended to allow for the establishment of resort units in all contract nature reserves or nature reserves which carry the approval of Cape Nature and for which stewardship agreements exist, subject to the development limits set in the management plans for the reserves. Projects. Establish a joint working group consisting of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, CapeNature, National Botanical Institute and botanical experts, to act as a management body for the planning process of the Warm Bokkeveld conservation area (Waboomsberg) and facilitate the completion of the Biodiversity Management Plan being prepared for the area, as a pilot project for other conservation worthy areas in the DMA. The cost of the facilitation of the project would amount to roughly R57 000,00 for the first financial year.

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5.16. Establishment and use of aerodromes Introduction. There are only two known commercially usable aerodromes in the DMA. The one is at Sanbona and the other at Ceres. The Sanbona aerodrome is privately managed and maintained as a private facility that could be used for emergency purposes by the municipality. The Ceres Aerodrome is not serviced, developed or suitably maintained to facilitate its wider use. There is interest in the upgrading and use of this aerodrome and it has the potential to open additional opportunities in the Warm Bokkeveld. The aerodrome is too small to allow for its feasible expansion and upgrading, however, the land around the aerodrome is not utilised and the owners indicated that they would participate in the upgrading of the facility. Proposals. The Ceres Aerodrome must be developed to perform a nodal function in keeping with the planning and development of the Warm Bokkeveld. This requires the preparation and submission of applications in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, Act 107 of 1998, the rezoning and subdivision of the surrounding land and the installation of services as a private initiative by the owner of the surrounding land. The lease agreement and conditions of use of the aerodrome must be reconsidered, in order to allow for the leasing of the aerodrome to a management body consisting of all the users, rather than an individual. Projects. An assessment of the possibility of fruit export and transport from the Ceres Aerodrome must be undertaken as an economic development initiative, to determine whether the producers in the area would support a development project at the aerodrome.

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5.17. Commercial development along roads Introduction. All commercial development along national and provincial main roads is governed by the Advertising on Roads and Ribbon Development Act, 1940, Act 21 of 1940. Past practices of establishing farm stalls along major roads, to dispose of farm produce have changed to be replaced by commercial activities, where retail outlets, tourist facilities and restaurants replace the old farm stalls. The term farm stall refers to a building, which does not exceed 100 m² in floor space, including storage facilities, on a farm, where a farmer sells products produced and processed on the farm to the general public. Farm stalls are generally acceptable along the roads in the DMA, however, the typical recent commercial developments along the roads tend to larger than 100m², accommodate groups of 40 and more visitors and preferably tour buses or groups and can handle the parking requirements of vehicles for such large groups. The commercial activities are typically signposted with branded advertising signs and repeatedly so, causing a distraction to the passer’s-by, as much as it provides information. It also detracts from the experience of the rural environment, as few branded advertising signs fit the natural environment. The Cape Winelands tourism concept, including the development along tourist routes, consists of six themes: • Food and Wine : Wine farms in the DMA attract visitors to their cellars through

highly visible advertising signs along the roads, which should be managed in terms of the applicable policies and legislation. The farms are normally developed in sympathetic architectural styles, however, specific aesthetic consideration should be given to all plans and proposals, to avoid unsympathetic development that detracts from the appeal of a specific location

• Health and Wellness : There are several hot water springs in the Cape

Winelands, one of which is at Warmwaterberg, at the eastern end of the DMA. This resort and resource is under developed when compared to the other similar resources (Montagu and Goudini). It is also located in an otherwise depressed area, where agricultural development is limited and farming activities are marginal. Large tracts of land in this area are being transformed to game farms and tourist destinations. Amongst others, Sanbona, the largest private nature reserve in the DMA, wishes to shift its main access to the road that serves the Warmwaterberg resort.

• Arts, crafts and culture : There are currently no significant centres in the DMA

that provide arts, crafts and cultural experiences. A combination of such centres with service centres at schools, must be considered. The schools are mostly in the vicinity of roads that are potentially usable by tourists, therefore the establishment of tourist nodes at such locations could be considered.

• Adventure and Enviro : According to this theme explanation, tourists can

discover the beautiful nature of South Africa by visiting its nature reserves, which are widely distributed and well developed in the DMA. Outdoor sports activities are not widely available in the DMA, however, there are sufficient opportunities for the development of such sporting attractions. The tourist route upgrading and development in the Tankwa Karoo is one aspect thereof, trying to attract more visitors to the area, to travel through it on mountain bicycles and motor bikes. The Matroosberg / Lakensvlei area also offers suitable opportunities for the development of adventure tourism themes, but the supportive land use

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management policies of the PG:WC and the municipality must be conveyed to the land owners, to facilitate such development.

• Fruit Route : The route takes tourists through large parts of the area to the east.

It does not incorporate the Warm Bokkeveld, Touws River Valley and Tankwa Karoo, as there are no intensive fruit farms in the area. These farms fall under the aforementioned category.

• The Freedom Route : This route still has to be developed, but its focus is in the

Paarl area and therefore not applicable to the DMA. Proposals. Commercial development along roads must be contested and limited to farm stalls, unless the development forms part of a larger tourist destination. The development of tourist destinations and resorts must be contained in a specific land use management policy that can be conveyed to land owners. Tourist facilities and infrastructure development and tourist nodes should be permitted at all nature reserves and conservation areas where Cape Nature have or are willing to enter into management agreements with the land owners, as an incentive to the owners to conserve the environment. The tourist nodes should focus on conserved land, where the natural resources are protected. The area is so diverse that it does not warrant the specification of areas or places where tourist nodes should be established. Commercial development should be permitted along the roads to the tourist nodes, subject to strict aesthetic control and with a preference to the establishment of the facilities in proximity of schools, where services could be shared and there is a natural congregation of people. Projects. None.

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5.18. Inappropriate development features – architecture / visual impact Introduction. The largely unspoilt natural beauty of the DMA and its environmental significance is the primary attraction to the area. Therefore, the appropriateness of development in the area, especially mountain passes, river corridors, mountainsides and sensitive systems, need to be dealt with circumspectly. Illegal developments (advertising signs, tourist facilities, resorts, infrastructure, agricultural industries) detract from the overall beauty of the area and lead to environmental degradation through erosion, introduction of alien species and disruption of traffic. Landscapes are attractive because of the human perception thereof. Therefore some landscapes are attractive to one group of people, whereas other groups would prefer different landscapes. Landscape modification, by development, reduces the opportunity of it being an attraction, as it is near impossible to return the landscape to its former undeveloped situation. Thus, all landscape modification must be done with a cautious, risk averse approach. As stated above, the most obvious detraction from the appeal of the natural surroundings is advertising signs. Proposals. The roads authorities and the CWDM should use the Advertising on Roads and Ribbon Development Act, 1940, Act 21 of 1940, and the South African Manual for Outdoor Advertising Control (SAMOAC) as the management tools for illegal and unwanted development. SAMOAC allows and guides local authorities in establishing control systems and mechanisms to contribute to the conservation of tourism resources in rural and urban environments. It was introduced in April 1998 and should be used as the municipal management system for outdoor advertising. It provides conditions and principles for the management and control of various outdoor advertising signs. The CWDM must give legal status to it by incorporating it into the zoning scheme or approving thereof as a bylaw. Building plan scrutiny must make provision for consideration of the aesthetic of the plans, in keeping with the provisions of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 1977, Act 103 of 1977, which allows refusal of plans that could detract from the character of the environment. Projects. None.

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5.19. Geographic areas Introduction. Three geographic areas stand out as being areas of outstanding attraction and conservation value. The Anysberg – Sanbona – Boosmansbos corridor, the Tankwa Karoo – Swartruggens ecotone (area along the western edge of the Tankwa Karoo onto the Koue Bokkeveld) incorporating Waboomsberg and the Lakensvlei – Matroosberg area, have features that make them ideal for the establishment of tourist nodes. These three areas warrant individual fine scale planning projects and policies that would facilitate development and conservation with no subsequent case by case decision-making. These areas contain the majority of the population in the DMA and have suitable infrastructure, services and natural resources, to allow tourist related development. Proposals. In order to promote development of tourist nodes, the three identified areas must be demarcated and the residents of each must be included in fine scale planning processes that would lead to granting of land use rights for the development of tourist facilities, tourist / guest accommodation and tourist infrastructure. Projects. Appoint consultant teams to prepare fine scale plans for the development of tourist nodes, with suitable development guidelines, in each of the geographic areas. The cost of each of the detailed fine scale planning processes would amount to R125 000,00.

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5.20. Environmental Management Frameworks Introduction. In all focus group discussions it appeared that the use of Environmental Management Frameworks (EMF’s) could contribute to land use management by allowing rapid processes for the issuing of authorisations. However, discussions with the PG:WC indicate the opposite, as the EMF’s do not allow the waiving of the legislative requirements contained in NEMA. EMF’s should rather be used to place a burden on land owners that own environmental resources that are irreplaceable, while other means of giving incentives should be considered. The time delays caused by compliance with legislation relating to the establishment of guest accommodation on farms, tourist facilities and accommodation in nature reserves and the construction of farm infrastructure, such as wineries and pack sheds, lead to the illegal constructions and development on farms. Thus, policies should be established and used to speed up approval processes that do not require authorisation in terms of other non-delegated legislation, such as NEMA. Proposals. The use of EMF’s should be discussed with the PG:WC, to ensure what use there is in such a mechanism. The biodiversity study (Coastec) indicates where the areas of concern are and theses areas should be incorporated into EMF’s, to ensure suitable processes for consideration of development applications. On the other hand, the CWDM must approve of policy and where necessary regulations, to facilitate rapid development approvals for tourist related development on farms and in nature reserves. This would require amendment of the zoning scheme regulations, to allow the construction of additional dwellings without any consent and the construction of tourist accommodation in formally managed nature reserves with approved management plans. The management plans would indicate the tourist carrying capacity of the nature reserve and once approved, the land owners would not have to go through rezoning and other land use planning approvals, as long as the management plans are adhered to. Projects. The zoning scheme regulations for the DMA must be amended and adapted to facilitate the rapid approval and development of tourist nodes and nature reserves.

Documents

Spatial Development Framework(DMA)