Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape

• Lack of a proper buffer zone;
• Lack of a management plan;
• Mining activities;
• Development pressure.

The State Party submitted a state of conservation report on 29 January 2013. This report addressed the requests of the World Heritage Committee at its last session in relation to the impact of open-cast coal mining, the drafting of the management plan, protection, conservation and consolidation of archaeological sites and the clarification of the boundary and the buffer zone. It also reported on progress with the Trans-Frontier Conservation Area and on the proposed underground expansion of the De Beers Venetia Mine in the buffer zone.

a)  Impact of Open-cast Coal Mining

The World Heritage Committee requested the State Party to ensure that the open-cast coal mining that was resumed in November 2011 does not negatively impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. In its report, the State Party reiterated that the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) carried out in 2011 concluded that the open-cast mining will have no direct impact on the OUV of the property although the mining activities will impact on sites in the buffer zone closely related to the Mapungubwe Kingdom. The proposed mitigation, as set out in the HIA, is for archaeological sites to be recorded before destruction.

The State Party reports that a professional archaeologist has been appointed to provide day to day monitoring of the mining area and to oversee all mitigation measures, including cases where archaeological sites may have to be rescued. The State Party is also working with stakeholders in ensuring that archaeological research is undertaken on sites outside the mining areas but located within the wider landscape. This is part of an offset programme funded by the mining company that is currently being finalised.

b)  Integrated Management Plan

The State Party has finalized the Integrated Management Plan for the property, and its draft was submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 29 January 2013, pending the final approval by the Minister in terms of the relevant national legislation.

c)  Protection, Conservation and Consolidation of Archaeological sites

The State Party reports that a project to rehabilitate and conserve major archaeological sites within the property has been completed. No details were provided in the submitted report.

d)  Clarifying Boundary and Buffer Zone

The State Party indicates that at the time of the inscription, although there was no buffer zone marked on the maps supplied, the area of the buffer zone was indicated in the text of the nomination dossier and this was said to include the Limpopo, Venetia Limpopo and Vhembe Reserves.

In the ICOMOS evaluation, it was stated that a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding had been drawn up with the objective of establishing a Limpopo-Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) and that this very extensive area in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe would, when established, constitute a very effective buffer zone. The nomination stated that on the South African side the TFCA would include the Mapungubwe nominated area and its buffer zone. A map provided to the evaluation mission indicated this area encircling the property.

In 2009, the State Party delineated and approved at national level a buffer zone that excluded land in private ownership to the east of the property – but this buffer zone has not been presented to the Committee for approval. The State Party now acknowledges that the existing buffer zone does not extend to cover all areas that are necessary for the effective protection of the property’s OUV. An assessment has enabled the State Party to map out a more effective buffer zone, informed by distribution of archaeological sites, view shed protection and catchment protection areas

The State Party reports that, in 2012, as a result of appointing a facilitator to speed up negotiations with the land owners, it is now in a position to inform the Committee that the owners of the properties making up the 7 km of land to the east of the property have agreed to be incorporated into the buffer zone. A legal agreement between the land-owners and the State Party is under development. The State Party will be submitting in due course an application for a minor boundary modification.

e)  Trans-Frontier Conservation Area

The State Party reports that the process of establishing a TFCA is almost completed waiting the signing of the treaty by the States Parties of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The three countries have already agreed on the final draft of the TFCA treaty at a Ministerial level.

f)  Proposed expansion of De Beers Venetia Mine & other mineral issues

The Venetia Diamond Mine lies within the buffer zone to the south of the property. It was officially opened in 1992. The mine has been operated as an open-cast mine within the footprint that existed at the time of inscription.

The State Party reports that an expansion of the mine is now proposed. This next phase involves an underground expansion and will take place within the existing footprint of the mine. No details are provided on any infra-structural implications of this expansion. The 2012 mission expressed concern at several large installations in the northern part of the property that provided the mine with water from the Limpopo River. The Management Plan mentions that as well as the rich coal and diamond resources, there are other strategic minerals on the borders of the park, and also a projected power station and a coal /gas field north of the Soutpansberg that will it is said ”change the character of the landscape in and around the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (MCL).” It also refers to the appraisal of the buffer zone as an opportunity to “facilitate the strategic engagement with the now numerous prospecting and mining applications in the area, especially around the need to negotiate advantageous off-set arrangements with prospective mining companies.” 

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the arrangements made for archaeological advice on measures to mitigate the impact of the open-cast coal mining on archaeological remains associated with the Mapungubwe Kingdom.

They recommend that the Committee welcome the progress made with the establishment of the TFCA and with extending the current buffer zone to the east of the property following the negotiations with private owners. As soon as a legal agreement with these owners has been agreed, a formal map of the overall buffer zone, together with details of its protection and management, needs to be presented to the World Heritage Committee for approval. In particular there needs to be clarification that no further mining activities will be allowed to take place in the buffer zone and this clarification needs to be reflected in the Management Plan, particularly in respect of ‘off-set arrangements’.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the proposed underground expansion of the Venetia diamond mine and consider that further information needs to be provided on the associated infra-structural activities, such as roads and water supplies that will be needed for an expanded operation, in relation to their potential impact on the OUV.

The Advisory Bodies have reviewed the draft Management Plan and consider it a thorough, readable and professional plan for the World Heritage site and the contiguous National Park. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies are of the view that in relation to mining activities in the buffer zone, the plan needs to have greater clarity in terms of the impact of mining on the property and of the benefits of ‘off-set arrangements’. The Management Plan also refers to the development a coal /gas field north of the Soutpansberg that will “change the character of the landscape in and around the MCL”. Further information on this project needs to be provided as soon as possible in relation to its potential impact on the OUV of the property.