Meet at: The Engen 1Stop at the Witkop Blockhouse on the R59 near Meyerton.
Duration: About 3.5 hours.
Charge: Members R50; non-members R80 (Maximum 30 participants) Priority will be given to members.
Bring: Comfortable walking shoes – we will only walk for a short distance, water, hat, sunblock, and folding chairs for a picnic lunch afterwards. There are ablution facilities at the Engen 1Stop at Witkop.
Sharing of vehicles: To avoid congestion of vehicles at the Redan site, we propose attendees share vehicles as far as possible to travel there and back.
Sites to be visited:The Witkop Blockhouse on the R59.
We meet in the parking lot of the Engen 1Stop at the Witkop blockhouse on the R59. Here SJ de Klerk will give an overview of the extensive use of both masonry-built and the Rice pattern corrugated iron block houses by the Imperial forces during the Anglo Boer War to protect the railways and constrict the movement of the roving Boer Commandos. The Redan rock engraving site.
From the Engen 1Stop we will drive in convoy to the Redan rock engraving site where Dr Jeremy Hollmann will inform us of the presence and meaning of symbols at various South African Khoe-San rock engraving sites, with reference to the Redan, the last remaining such site in Gauteng.
Some examples of the rock engravings at the Redan site Photo by SJ de Klerk
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Guides:
Dr Jeremy Hollmann completed his PhD in 2011 at the University of the Western Cape on Khoe-San rock markings at the Gestoptefontein-Driekuil engraving complex in the North-West Province. He is an independent researcher with 30 years’ experience in rock art.
SJ de Klerk is Chairperson of the Northern Branch of ArchSoc and occasional heritage and history tour guide.
Directions:
To Engen 1Stop at the Witkop blockhouse - If you are travelling from the North, drive along the N3 in a southernly direction and passing south through the Geldenhuis Interchange. About 3 kilometres further the N3 swerves to the left but you must take the N12 to the right towards Kimberley and Vereeniging. Four kilometres further take the turnoff onto the R59 towards Alberton and Vereeniging. A further 22 kilometres along, pull into the Engen 1Stop adjacent to the Witkop Blockhouse.
To the Redan Rock Engraving site - From the Engen 1 Stop travel further 23 kilometres south and then exit the R59 at the Redan offramp. Turn right at the end of the offramp and cross over the R59 and about 600 meters further turn right into the R61. Travel north along the R61 for about 2 kilometres and park at the Springfield Secondary School on the left-hand side of the R61.
Please take note of the following important information about booking and payment:
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BOOKING CONDITIONS FOR OUTINGS Contact Anne Raeburn to book, preferably by email: anner@mweb.co.za or if email not available then by SMS / phone: 083 455 4151. Do not pay until you have confirmed your booking with Anne. If you pay before your booking is confirmed and an outing is already fully booked, we must refund your payment. This entails a lot of extra work. Please deposit the fee in the BRANCH account given below (and NOT in the Cape Town membership account). SA Archaeological Society, Standard Bank, Branch no: 025 009 Account number 001 945 920 Reference: SURNAME and EVENT. Send the deposit slip to Anne Raeburn e-mail anner@mweb.co.za or cell: 072 349 6507. If you pay by cash or cheque, you must please add R40 for bank fees. |
PROTOCOL FOR OUTINGS
Please take note of the following guidelines for outings.
1. Arrive on time and immediately report to the committee member who has the attendance register.
2. Sign the attendance register and indemnity immediately.
3. Only people who have booked and pre-paid may come on outings, we do not accept bookings or cash on the day.
4. Stay with the group. We do our best to stick to time schedules.
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