17 March 2023 – Namakwari Lodge, Kathu, Northern Cape
The Kalahari is known as a mining hub with more than thirty mines in the southern Kalahari. This seminar investigates how the Kalahari can be a leading restoration area within the context of industry trends, Kalahari research and recent legislation promulgated to effect this vision.
The southern Kalahari is home to significant expansion and development as a result of productive mining since the 1950s. Transformation of the Kalahari is extensive, due to the intergenerational cumulation of mining, further escalated by higher urban populations and more recent solar energy developments.
Rehabilitation work in the Kalahari commenced in the 1980s, as published in the seminal work by Dr S. Wyk (van Wyk, Stephanus. 1994. ‘n Strategie vir die rehabilitasie van versteurde mynbougebiede in Suidelike Afrika. Potchefstroom: University of Potchefstroom).
The changing and more demanding legislation and increasing rehabilitation costs to meet mine closure obligations require a greater understanding. Arid areas consist of complex interactions, providing real challenges to define a workable system that can be used for rehabilitation success.
The Kalahari mining and construction industries have tremendous resources to solve the above challenges, but isolated efforts need to be consolidated and knowledge shared to ensure that success is increased, duplication of trials reduced, and resources applied sensibly to effect landscape changes in the long term.
The objective of this seminar is to bring Kalahari industry leaders together to engage in a seminar and solution exchange for area-specific rehabilitation. It is aimed at Kalahari leaders and service providers who want to understand and overcome the closure and rehabilitation challenges we face.
Prof Roy Lubke
Konrad Krüger
Mrs Chrizette Neethling
Prof Dr Klaus Kellner
Mr Piet van Deventer
Dr Phil Tanner
Dr Roger Parsons
Thursday 16 March, 19:00-22:00
Join the dinner party at Katexas the evening before! We arranged a buffet at special rates. RSVP before 10 March 2023 to join. Dinner is for your own account. All welcome!
Programme 17 March 2023
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
| 07:00 – 08:00 | TEA / COFFEE and REGISTRATION | |
| 08:00 – 08:10 | Opening and Welcome | |
| 08:10 – 08:30 | Industry trends | Chrizette Neethling, Endemic Vision |
| 08:30 – 08:50 | The greatest groundwater story never told – the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (virtual presentation) | Roger Parsons, Parsons and Associates Specialist Groundwater Consultants |
| 08:50 – 09:10 | The importance of research and monitoring for rehabilitation | Klaus Kellner, USEM, North-West University |
| 09:10 – 09:30 | Restoration Goals: stabilisation, revegetation, replacement or reclamation, rehabilitation or restoration? | Roy Lubke, Rhodes University |
| 09:30 – 09:50 | The rationale for soil health with respect to mine rehabilitation in arid areas (virtual presentation) | Piet van Deventer Boscia Environmental Solutions |
| 09:50 – 10:10 | Rehabilitation, risk assessment and risk management | Phil Tanner, Private Consultant |
| 10:10 – 10:30 | Developing standards and guidelines for rehabilitation in the Kalahari | Konrad Kruger, Jones & Wagner, obo Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa (LaRSSA) |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | TEA / COFFEE | |
| CASE STUDIES | ||
| 11:00 – 11:15 | ‘Made in Kathu’: show-casing a world-renowned handaxe, and the present plight and future prospects for internationally significant sites in the Kathu Archaeological Complex. | David Morris, McGregor Museum and SPU ; Michael Chazan, University of Toronto |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Lessons learnt – an almost twenty-year old tale of rehabilitation at Sishen Mine | David Malo and Werner Voigt, Kumba Iron Ore Sishen Mine |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Rehabilitation of asbestos mines in the Northern Cape | DP van der Merwe, Redco |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Landscape functionality and restoration of degraded sites in Mokala National Park | Lufuno Munyai, E Damaene and K Kellner, SanParks |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | River flood plain restoration | Ben Benade, EkoImpak |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | LUNCH | |
| 13:30 – 13:45 | Ephemeral Kalahari interdune pans: to restore or to ignore? | Piet-Louis Grundling, DFFE |
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Determining the impact of chemical Senegalia mellifera bush management on plant growth in the Eastern Kalahari Bushveld, South Africa |
Christiaan Harmse, DAEALRRD; Annalien De’Ath, Khumani Iron Ore Mine and Klaus Kellner, USEM Northwest University |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | The business case for nature | Divan van der Merwe and Azraa Bux, Kolomela Iron Ore Mine |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Realising the value of agricultural land holdings: a Kumba iron Ore case study | Divan van der Merwe, EXM |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Commercial game farming as a tool for land restoration | Johann Kriek, Matanu |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Twenty years on, changes after conversion of small stock farms to game reserve in the Kalahari | Dave Gaynor et al, Mammal Research Institute, UP |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Wrap-up | Konrad Kruger, LaRSSA |
| 15:15 – 15:45 | TEA / COFFEE | |
| 15:45 – 15:30 | Panel discussion: Addressing key questions to accelerate restoration in the Kalahari. | |
| 16:30 – | Summary, cocktails and closure |
Special accommodation rates have been arranged with three lodges for RESTORE KALAHARI delegates. Please reserve your accommodation with the lodges directly, details below, using RESTORE KALAHARI as your reference.
NAMAKWARI LODGE
Website: www.namakwari.co.za
Address: Cor Frikkie Meyer and Hans Coetzee Roads, Kathu, Northern Cape, 8446
Tel: 053 723 2987 – ask for Brenda Jacobsz please
Fax: 086 623 8245
Email: info@namakwari.co.za
GAMAGARA GUEST LODGE
Website: www.gamagaralodge.co.za
Address: Hendrik van Eck Road, Kathu, Northern Cape, 8446
Tel: 053 723 2285 / 084 517 3287
Fax: 053 723 2102
Email: info@gamagaralodge.co.za
ACACIA GUESTHOUSE KATHU
Website: acacia-bnb.business.site
Address: 13 Stinkhout Street, Kathu, Northern Cape, 8446
Mobile: 072 562 8604
Email: info@acaciabnb.co.za
Intent to Submit a Case Study
STILL TIME TO SUBMIT A CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY TEMPLATE
To be used for case study submission, presentation slides, poster design or video recording.
- Site orientation
- Background
- Age of impact
- Type of impact
- Size and extend of impact
- Location
- Topography
- Soils
- Vegetation
- Hydrology
- Reason for rehabilitation
- Budget available
- Team players
- Rehabilitation design and implementation
- Landscaping
- Soil management and amelioration
- Hydrological structures
- Vegetation establishment
- Additional techniques or products
- Expenditure
- Successes
- Challenges
- Lessons learnt and Take away
- Acknowledgments, thanks, references, contact details
Presenting and Sponsors
Contact us
COORDINATOR
Glaudin Kruger
Email: kruger@krugerassociate.com
Mobile: 072 320 7015
TECHNICAL
Chrizette Neethling
Email: cdn@endemicvision.co.za
Mobile: 082 658 6078