PAARDEBERG SANDMINING UPDATE

Mines we are contesting

The mines on the other side of the Paardeberg that we have appealed and the mine next to Fynbos both await responses. We will keep you posted

Illegal extending of the DE HOOP mine

Apart from the above mines there is an existent sand mine on DE HOOP farm in Joubertskloof near us that was passed and not contested.  Visitors to Fynbos have commented on how terrible it looks right here in the heart of the mountain and how bothered they are by the sand trucks and the dust they have to share the road with.

3 areas

Area across road

Watching the mine carefully, we have seen that the applicants have extended their mining well past the legal consent given. They asked for 2 areas of 2.5 hectares and have already mined more than 5 hectares and are continuing to mine additional areas besides. The extent of the mine can be seen on the photos with and additional illegal area mined across the road as well as preparation being made to mine on yet another large area.

Second area has begun

We have complained to the Swartland Municipality who say they will look into it as well as to the DMR (Department Mineral Resources). It is rumoured that the latter has little capacity to deal with their own sector. (For example the illegal mine on Granaatfontein after a year is still just in the state it was left).

Paardeberg mining on SABC

This Sunday Evening on Focus @ SABC2 there will be a program on sand mining in our area. 

50/50 to do a program on illegal mining in Gauteng and rumour has it Carte Blanche will do something too

We will keep you posted.

Paardeberg Sand mining update

On the 3rd March the Appeals against the two consents given for sand mines on the Paardeberg were submitted to the Appeal Authority of the Swartland Municipality on behalf of 250 appellants (landowners, workers, others connected to the mountain) together with a petition of 3000 signatures. This is a remarkable response from the Paardeberg community.

The basis of the Appeal

Adv Martin Coetzee claims the consent given to be in breach of procedure on a number of counts and that it reveals inconsistencies, as well as unsubstantiated, biased and erroneous statements. He points to objections that were ignored or dismissed (as opinionated or unsubstantiated) one of which he regards a fatal flaw - namely the dismissal of the objection by the Department of Agriculture. Coetzee also claims the decision is not consistent with and in fact, in contradiction to the Spatial Development Frameworks and Integrated Development Plan of the Municipality, and that the land use deviation is in conflict with the surrounding land uses. He points out that the mines would have a substantial impact on the character of the surrounding area.

Coetzee shows that there is no evidence that the development will have a positive economic impact - not even to the land owner and mine operator . He further points to the overwhelming negative view of the Paardeberg community to the mines.

Overall he concludes that the applications should have been refused by the MPT since it in all instances will constitute a small, isolated non-feasible mining activity that is bound to neglect to implement the necessary environmental precautionary measures, proper, that must be discouraged in terms of the stated policy of the West Coast District Spatial Development Framework.

We wait to hear the outcome of these appeals. The Paardeberg Coalition will meet soon to evaluate events thus far and consider future actions. We will keep you posted.

#protectthepaardeberg

SANDMINING THREATENS THE PAARDERG

Beautiful Joubertskloof

The visual impact of sand mining

The Eco Tourism of Fynbos Estate is next in line

Following the licencing this week of yet two more sand mines in the Paardeberg, we  are shocked and dismayed for the whole of the Paardeberg as well as for ourselves here at Fynbos Estate  - as we are the next in line. A sand mining application is in process for adjacent to us and  right at our entrance.

Fynbos Estate’s Dragonridge Winery is part of the Paardeberg’s wine tourism alongside Eben Sadie and others. Additionally with 280 hectares of contract nature reserve, the stillness and beauty of Fynbos Estate has allowed our sustainability as a retreat and workshop centre, as well as a rural getaway guest farm and celebration venue.  

The pavilion and pool areas look directly over the site

The sand proposed mine is highly visible from every single place on the farm and nature reserve, and the noise of big machinery  and trucks  will shatter the precious stillness sought after by visitors. Moreover instead of winding along quiet rural roads  to get to us, guests will have to run a gauntlet of  huge sand trucks which, when  full, weigh 60 tonnes, take up the entire width of the narrow roads and spew clouds of obscuring dust. 

If it were not enough that these roads carry farm vehicles and provide  pathways for horses, cattle and sheep ,  preschool and primary school children use these roads daily to and from the little farm school in the Kloof.  This is tragedy waiting to happen

An example of the huge machinery involved

An significant conservation issue: agriculture and nature.

But much more than about Fynbos, this is about the whole of the mountain, the wine and olive farms dotted around it, the  spoiling of arable land in its foothills  the numerous biodiversity areas and nature reserves hard won by land owners. It is a conservation issue of extreme  significance. In a world where there is a daily  loss of species of flora and fauna  and increasing shrinkage of agricultural land, to squander the gift of an exquisite mountain an hour from Cape Town with rural hectarage, nature reserves and biodiversity acclaimed areas,  is just unbelievable.  Does no one in office think about the planet and about what we leave to our children? All for the one off benefit to a few individual farmers and some sand transport operators.  Further any notion that a mined area can be rehabilitated to what it was before, is manifestly not true. The soil layer is crucial to mineral movement and drainage as well as to the endless colonies of insects, worms and the like that form part of agriculturally viable land and a healthy ecology all the way up to the birds that dwell here.  

Please join our campaign.  Tell all your conservation minded friends, post comments on our facebook page and if possible copy your comments to the  following link http://grape.co.za/2017/02/a-sad-day-for-swartland-wine/#comments

Please like and share this Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/protectthepaardeberg/

And then of course to link our post to theirs so ours gets onto their site too

If you prefer, write emails to us at info@fynbosestate.co.za. These we will collate and submit to the appropriate people.

Huge volumes of dust effect livestock and crops

The proposed site 

Narrow farm roads are unable to handle the increased traffic from large construction vehicles

The eagle flies off the grid

  

Black Eagle, our latest house is up and running. Named for the Verreaux Eagle found on this part of the Paardeberg, this house is highest up the valley, has gorgeous views of Joubertskloof in both directions, and has internal spaces that soar skyward.  With 4 large en suite double rooms (some with an extra bed), Eagle is designed for getaways, small retreats and workshops.

Off the grid

A special feature of the house is its energy conservation. With double glazing and insulation of ceilings, floors and external walls, this house stays at a constant mild temperature all year round. And its 36 solar panels and two large solar geysers mean that it is entirely off the grid with energy to spare.

SPRING NEWS

Spring has come gradually - after the driest winter the region has had in recorded history.

This means many failed wheat crops and empty dams and less money in Malmesbury. For us it means we must soon cut off much of our small crop of grapes so as not to stress
our vines, and we must make changes to our water storage and use.
We are also hurrying our programme for solar power.

Yet still, in the face of worldwide temperature rises, hurricanes and melting ice, comes the inevitability of spring; changes in light, the buzz of small creatures in search of mates, and the building of nests.   And at Fynbos not only nature comes to life, but people are up for get-togethers and getaways, weddings, workshops and retreats.
​Not to mention drinking good wine and lazing by the pool.

To be ready for the summer we are growing veggies like crazy, labelling wine and getting stuck into mending, sprucing and cleaning. We are also stocking up with hay for our animals (exchanged for use of some of our land by our neighbour), and we are clearing aliens through 'Working for Water'.
In between we are trying to remember to be in the present and smell the honeysuckle.

CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH TOUCHES FYNBOS

A few weeks ago Fynbos was approached by Rodger Duffet of UCT’s CSAG (Climate System Analysis Group) to put up a weather station on Dragonridge. He came with a colleague last week and has sent us these pics and this account of the station.

The rocky outcrop of the Paardeberg rises above the surrounding flatlands of the Swartland making it an ideal location to capture local weather patterns. Fynbos Estate kindly granted access to us for an installation of a weather station that will be of use to all in the area and provide ongoing input to the long term climate record. The station is the latest addition to the network of stations funded through the Fynbos Fire Project [fynbosfire.org.za] by the Global Environment Fund. The project seeks to improve the risk assessment and management of fire in the Fynbos Biome and to address questions of interest in the area regarding fire and climate in the longer term.

The stations measures temperature, pressure, solar radiation, wind speed and direction and humidity and sends this information to a server every 5 minutes. 
From there it is accessed by the CSIR [Council for Scientific and Industrial Research] for use in the Advanced Fire Information System. This system is just one of the background tools that inform and assist the Fire Prevention Associations around the Fynbos region in the difficult job of fire management.

The Paardeberg is a beautiful and unique area close to Cape Town. After braving early morning traffic on the way out of town we were happy to be ascending the rocky track up the mountain. Half way up we met teams from the Paardeberg Sustainability Institute working on alien clearing and fire break management. 
Sadly, at the top, we met the local wifi installer replacing stolen solar panels after yet another theft. We can only hope that our little panel will not attract interest!

We do know that the baboons will be very curious about the station so festooned it with razor wire in the hopes that this will keep them from adjusting things to their satisfaction! After doing this we headed back down to the Estate to catch up with Gail and Diana and collect a couple of bottles of the special wine available there!

The station is happily sending data through to our servers and should you be planning a trip out to the Swartland you can see what you are heading to on www.wmon.co.za. Hopefully this data will also find it's way into Johan's toolkit as he works his magic in the cellars. It will certainly be part of the work in the region trying to improve how we interact with our fragile environment!

The stations are installed and maintained by Intermet Africa [www.diel.co.za] and the Climate Systems Analysis Group [www.csag.uct.ac.za] at the University of Cape Town.

Rodger 
www.csag.uct.ac.za

IT’S THE WEST COAST FLOWER TIME AGAIN!!

WALKING ON OUR FYNBOS MOUNTAIN IS A SPECIAL TREAT.

Stop off here as a springboard for a longer West Coast flower tour, or stay over for a weekend. If your time is short, visit us just for the day.  

Call the FLOWER HOTLINE on 072 938 8186 for regular updates or visit the Swartland Tourism Facebook Page for more information on upcoming flower events.

Marie and Roland from Sweden took a walk on the mountain last weekend and sent back these pictures.

AT LAST! ROCK CLIMBING ON OUR MOUNTAIN

Su and Malan de Kock on a climb

For a long while we have wondered whether the granite rocks of Dragonridge and Sonkop would offer opportunities for climbing. We contacted the Mountain Club a few times but didn’t hear back from them. So it was to our delight that some years later Malan and Su de Kock arrived asking us whether they could climb on the farm. And since then they have come almost every weekend exploring and climbing. 

In lieu of their report back we asked them some questions.

Q: What is the climbing like on the mountain?

A: In general the rock is of good quality granite and sandstone with metamorphosed rock in areas between. There are tons of routes just waiting for first ascents. Dragonridge offers traditional climbing mostly at a moderate difficulty although there are quite a few hard climbs for serious climbers.  There are ample single pitch routes and the larger formations go up to three or four pitches. 

 Q:  What about names for places and climbs?

A:  Apart from the already named places like Cathedral Rock we have named particular crack-climbs/routes, keeping them within the general spirit of dragon lore. For instance we have been referring to certain features of Dragonridge as the Knuckle, the Helmet, the Thigh, the Knee Cap and the Shield. Generally climbing routes will have a classical descriptive name such as "The Dragons Eye Direct" or "Cathedral Rocks Traverse". When there are numerous routes up or around a single rock outcrop each route would have its own name like "Jumping Jelly Beans" or whatever.

Q What about assistance for potential climbers? 

A:  We plan to compile a little guidebook with descriptions, drawings and GPS co-ordinates that can be available for interested guests and visitors to Fynbos.

Q:  Can you tell us a little more about you two?

A:   I, Malan am an animator and illustrator, and I hope to get reincarnated because there's a ton of things I still want to do. There's adventure around every corner. Su is an operations manager for a big company and like me was a farm kid ` who ended up too deep in the city.’ Climbing now is just who we are in this particular point of our lives and it's fantastic

FOR ANYONE WANTING TO CONTACT MALAN, HIS NUMBER IS 076 776 0266. 

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE KEEN TO CLIMB HERE WITH A REGISTERED GUIDE. 

The pics of Dragonridge are taken by Malan and Su with those of Sonkop from Diana’s collection

Clockwise from top left: 1) Setting off. 2) Sonkop. 3) Up a crack on Dragonridge. 4) Su working her route on the Tiger Wall 

Clockwise from top left: 1) Sheer granite. 2) Granite slabs on Sonkop. 3) Hidden mushrooms. 4) Old Milkwoods.

Clockwise: 1) Part of the dragon's ridge.2) A Milkwood burnt in the big fire regrows. 3 )MIlkwoods between the cracks.

FROM THE WILD: OWLETS, TORTOISES AND NEW SIGHTING ON QUIRK ALLEY

Owlets Again

Our owl hosting oak has once again sheltered two delectable owlets, with exquisite Mom and Dad ever present. It’s now reached that tricky stage when the two youngsters can fly down but not yet up – so we hold thumbs, mumble prayers and leave them be on the ground until nightfall when we pop them back in their tree.  Osama ben Kitty and Suzie Creamcheese are the main worry.   What fierce piercing little eyes the owlets have and what marvellous clicking and hissing sounds they make.

Clockwise from top left: 1) First glimpse of the owlets. 2) At risk on the ground. 3) Fierce eyes. 4) Clicking and hissing as it is carried back to the tree.

Clockwise from top left: 1) Dad keeping (half an) eye. 2) Mom watching closely. 3) Safely back in the tree. 4) Putting the second one in the nest.

Tortoise Release

Elizabeth Cridland of Rondebosch has for decades been the 'go to' person with regard to stray tortoises, but they have got to be just too many for her small property. So, having before released her tortoises into a Reserve, she asked if she could release between 10 and 20 Rooipens and Leopard (Mountain) tortoises here. Both species have been seen on Dragonridge.

The release began with two 20 year old Leopards who were let go near the stream behind Fynbos House. The first fellow, called Mr Stripes, quickly disappeared into the underbrush, hopefully to make a happy life in the wild. However the other, Mr Speckles, a few hours later hotfooted it back to the farmhouse. We tried again - this time releasing him higher and further from the road. But no go – after two days he toddled into the werf.  He wouldn’t eat and was clearly traumatized so we sent him home to Rondebosch where he recovered and ate solidly for days.

Clockwise from top left: 1) Liz, husband and friend. 2) Being carried up the mountain. 3) Peeking at the new surroundings.

With the release on hold, we talked to Arnelle Collison and Atherton de Villiers of Cape Nature. Releasing tortoises, they both said, is very problematic. Not only do some not adapt to the wild, but they bring in foreign genes and possibly parasites and viruses.   This is particularly so with Rooipens which will breed with existing tortoises. Mountain tortoises, despite being on the Paardeberg probably through releases, are not actually indigenous further south than Montague.  On the plus side they don’t breed with other species so are safe from the genetic point of view. The experts are going to talk more and come back to us.
We will keep you posted.

This creature, newly sighted on Quirk Alley, is unlikely to contaminate the gene pool, although may perhaps spread Cycle Virus which has reached pandemic proportions worldwide.

SPRING

We are somehow always caught off guard when spring arrives. Just how sumptuous it is. Just how iridescent the new oak leaves are and the profusion of colours and flowers and birds. And now that our creepers are well established the farmhouse and its gardens are redolent with jasmines and honeysuckle. Spring also brings Oom Klippies to the farmyard to shear Lambertus Basson and Baahbara, while the vineyards too get a good pruning. And of course all houses get their annual spring clean.