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CONSERVANCY® GCA Reg.009

Spring 2015 The committee of the Cullinan Conservancy has decided to resuscitate the Haakdoring. The aim is to keep

the members and the community informed of the work we are doing and give them some interesting

information that they may find useful in their endeavours to conserve their properties. We aim to publish

an edition for each season of the year.

In this, the first of hopefully many editions, we have asked each of the committee members to write an

article covering their specific portfolios. Articles from our community will be much appreciated for the

summer edition and the following editions. You are welcome to write in English or Afrikaans. Photographs

will be also be very welcome.

Afrikaanse naguiltjie Dries Cremer

Good-Lord-deliverrrr us, Good-Lord-deliverrrr us.

Wie van ons in die gebied luister nie aand na aand na die roep van die Afrikaanse naguiltjie nie? Dis so deel van ons gewone nag geluide maar wie en wat is verantwoordelik daarvoor? Die Arikaanse naguil (Caprimulgus pectoralis) is ‘n klein roofvoêl wat deur die jaar by ons gesien en gehoor kan word. Hulle eet hoofsaaklik insekte wat in die vlug gevang word. Ons moet gereeld rem aanslaan wanneer een doodstil in die middel van die pad sit. Dit gebeur soms dat die skerp ligte van ‘n voertuig hulle so verwar dat hulle soms in die voertuig se kajuit invlieg en op jou skoot beland. Hulle kom van die kus van Kenia suidwaarts voor tot by die suidelike dele van Tanzanië, die Demokratiese Republiek van die Kongo en Angola, tot by Malawi, Mosambiek , Botswana, Namibië, Suid-Afrika, Swaziland, Zambië en Zimbabwe (Wikepedia). Broeityd is vanaf Augustus tot Desember en twee eiers word onder takke of in digte struike direk op die grond gelê. Die wyfie hou die eiers bedags warm en die mannetjie snags. Kuikens broei na ongeveer vyftien dae uit en is instaat om sowat drie weke later te begin vlieg . Die kuikens word vir ‘n hele paar weke deur die ouers versorg.

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Trap vir Conservation Joan du Toit Photos Albert Kaffka

For quite a while we have been toying with the idea of doing a mountain bike ride through the Cullinan Conservancy. Lynn and Kobus Vermaak eventually got the idea to materialize by including it in the Jolly July Charity Fair.

Armand du Toit from Revolife volunteered to map out the route for the MBT. We had to negotiate with many property owners for permission to cycle through their properties. We really appreciate their co-operation. Our members sent their tractor drivers and other staff to cut the necessary paths on some of the properties.

The morning of the event was surely one of the coldest mornings this past winter and after all the hard work the race got off to a wonderful start. Charities like the “Cows” from CHOC participated in the event for a good purpose. The cyclists found the route scenic but very technical in places. They cycled through the veld, over the foothills of the Magaliesberg, past game farms, through lands onto the historical site of the old alluvial diamond diggings and back to the starting point: a total of 28km.

We thank all the committee members who assisted as marshals, worked at water points and helped with the sweep afterwards. We consider the race a learning curve and will evaluate the outcome before deciding whether to present it again. Most of the cyclists were eager to repeat the event. Lending a helping hand

Petro Lemmer

Een van die eerste bome wat in die vroeë lente begin blom is Dombeya rotundifolia, overgeset synde Gewone drolpeer. Sommige mense wat reken hierdie gewone naam is te kru, verwys na die boom as “Bruid-van-die-bosveld”. Hierdie klein bladwisselende boom se blare is donker grys-groen en byna rond met growwe rasperagtige hare en baie prominente are. Die blomme wat aanvanklik spierwit is word gou bruin, maar bly lank aan die boom sit. Die Drolpeer het aanvanklik aan die sterkastaiing (Sterculia) familie behoort maar nou is die hele sterkastaiing groep oorgeskuif na die Malvaceae (Hibiscus familie). Die hout van Dombeya rotundifolia is sterk en word vir gereedskap handvatsels gebruik. Omdat die grein baie fyn is kan mens die hout ook vir draaiwerk gebruik. Aftreksels gemaak van die bas word dikwels as medisyne gebruik teen maagprobleme, diarree en aambeie. Swanger vroue vind glo baat by die aftreksel as middel teen naarheid. (Onthou om eers ’n medikus te raadpleeg voordat jy medisinale plante gebruik.)

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Dries Cremer

There are many reasons why we should consider putting up an owl box or two, the two main reasons are to

create safe habitat for an owl family and also to control rodents in your garden or field without using

poison or any other unfriendly method. And it is fantastic to listen to the sounds of the owls at night.

The target species in the Cullinan Conservancy area are barn owls, scops owls and the Spotted Eagle owl, all seen fairly regularly. Both the Spotted Eagle owl and the barn owls live closer to people than other species and will accept a nesting place attached to a building or even inside a building. They can however be ‘messy’ and might attack people and pets when protecting their young. The ideal nest is attached to or on top of a single gum pole five meters or more from the ground. It can also be installed in a tree as long as the base is completely horizontal. Owls do not bring their owl nesting material; a few hands full of wood chips can be strewn inside the owl box to prevent the eggs from rolling around. There is a lot of debate when it comes to the direction in which the opening of an owl box must face. There are three factors to consider, it must face an open flight area, and it must face away from prevailing winds and away from the sun. Personally I feel that the importance of direction might be a little over emphasized, as long as the opening is situated off centre and the owl has a clear flight path to the nest. Plastic owl boxes can be bought but they are not cheap. Wooden boxes can easily be constructed using scrap wood, as long as you treat them properly before putting up. Honey bees are unfortunately also very fond of wooden boxes whereas they will rarely move into a plastic box. It is said that a treatment of Linseed oil will deter bees from moving in. Other bird species like Indian Mynah might also take a liking in your owl box but that can easily be sorted out. One size fits all All three species named will accept a box with a floor space of 480X480mm with the inside height roughly 430mm. Space must be provided in front of the box for an owl to perch on and to hunt from . Owl boxes must be set at least 80 meters apart. Happy owl boxing!

Observations round and about… Litter: One of our members wrote a letter to the community about the litter on the roads in the

Conservancy. This sparked a positive reaction. While some of us remove the litter along the the road and verges on a weekly basis, many don’t, which results in plastic and paper blowing in all directions. We are aware (and hope) that it is not our community who is doing the littering, but we have the responsibility to keep our area litter free. The anti-litter campaign has had positive results, although we still have a problem with the last hundred or so meters on Kiepersolweg just before the T-junction on Road R104!!

Snares: Snares will always be a problem in the area. Property owners are requested to inspect their

fences regularly and remove the snares. Please don’t just throw the snares away, first cut them up and then get rid of them. We have had a few dogs caught in snares.

Declared Weeds: A brown Toyota 1200 bakkie filled with herbicides, back packs, water and staff has

been seen along the road. Don’t panic, they are just spraying the declared weeds along the road verges. Your help will be much appreciated as it is your Conservancy too. The trees that are being sprayed are those that have coppiced after their cut stumps have not been treated with herbicide.

Pom Pom: After the first rain we are starting to see Pom pom plants emerging. Remember they are

Category 1b plants (see p 6) and have to be removed. GDARD can issue a Directive to the land owner.

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Deur Erich Jessnitz, opgesom uit ‘n lesing van prof Erik Holm Fotos prof E. Holm

In die voorlaaste eeu was daar bykans 100 000 4X4's in Suid Afrika! Daardie 4X4's se asse kon op ‘n

ruwe terrein tot 40⁰ skuinste teenoor mekaar draai. Hierdie voertuie kon binne minute uitmekaar gehaal

word, sommer daar in die veld, met die hulp van net 'n paar hande. Waarvan praat ons? Die ossewa! Met die Settelaar seevaarders van Nederland, Duitsland en Engeland, het die konsep van waens wat deur osse getrek word ontstaan. Noodsaaklike veranderinge en aanpassings moes in die ontwerp aangebring word vir gebruik op ruwe terrein, strawwe weer en ander omstandighede. Dit het gelei tot die grootste industrie destyds: die wamakery. Daar was sowat 50 groot fabrieke oor die hele land, benewens die honderde klein wamakerye. Die oorspronklike timmerwerk is deur skeepstimmermanne verrig. Baie benamings van die wa se onderdele is stellig van skeepsterminologie oorgeneem, en bestaan vandag nog, soos bv seil, ribbes, buik, speke, reling, (dissel)boom. Daar was hoofsaaklik 2 tipes waens, naamlik die kakebeenwa (verwys na die vorm van die buik van die wa van die kant gesien) en die bokwa („bok“ is ‘n onderdeel van die wa). Klein variasies het wel bestaan, volgens die vereistes wat die koper aan die fabriek gestel het en die streke waar die waens gebruik is. In diep sand moes groter wiele gebruik word om ‘n groter loopvlak te kry.

Kenmerke wat verskille tussen die 2 tipes waens uitwys is bv. die voorwiele wat in die geval van die kakebeenwa 10 speke het, asook dat die wiele van hierdie soort wa heeltemal aan die kant van die buik gemonteer was. Die bokwa het aan die kante 'n reling van hout en yster gehad wat oor die wiele gestrek het asook 'n skroef-rem teen die agterwiele. Albei soorte is vir 'huishoudelike' en vir werkdoeleindes gebruik.

Albei soorte is wel na eienaarskeuse met ‘n volseil, halfseil of geen seil gebruik. Volseil is waar ‘n raamwerk van latte en „ribbes“ op die bakwerk met ‘n volle seil bedek is, dikwels so gebruik ten tye van nagmaal om woonplek vir die hele gesin en plek vir hulle toebehore te verskaf. Halfseil is waar slegs die agterste helfte van die wa met ‘n seil bedek is. Dis dikwels so gebruik deur reisigers wat hulle fynere handelware teen die elemente wou beskerm en terselfdertyd die skuiling as ‘n slaapplek gebruik het, met die ruwer ware oop voor op die wa. Wanneer die wa as ‘n vervoermiddel vir hout of hooi gebruik is, is die goedere nie met ‘n seil bedek nie.

Die bokwa se ontwerp het mense instaat gestel om baie swaarder vragte, 6 tot 8 ton, soms tot 10 ton, daarop te laai, Daarteenoor kon slegs 2 ton op 'n kapkar gelaai word. Daarom het ‘n bokwa se wiele meer speke bevat. Die bokwa se trekaksie is deur die „langwa“ vanaf die vooras na die agteras verplaas. Dit het verhoed dat die vooras nie afgeskeur word nie.

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Nou moet ons onthou, daar was nie paaie nie. Modder en diep sand was 'n nagmerrie vir transportryers en ontdekkingsreisigers wat tot diep in die kontinent hulle reise met ossewaens aangepak het. As dit gereën het het alles tot stilstand gekom, tot dit opgehou reën het en die grond uitgedroog het. Wanneer die waens riviere moes kruis, was die kruising by driwwe beslis nie kinderspeletjies nie en ook heel gevaarlik, met krokodille en seekoeie in die water. Daarom word die uitdrukking in die

volksmond, 'die wa deur die drif trek' vir 'n besonder moeisame taak gebruik. Interessant is ook dat die verkoopsmanne vir die fabrieke met skaalmodelle (gewoonlik op ‘n skaal van 1:10) rondgery het om die waens te bemark. Dit was 'n baie kompeterende besigheid. Teen leweringstyd is 'n paar waens dan agtermekaar gehaak, en op 'n string een na die ander by die onderskeie kopers afgelewer. In vergelyking met ander wêrelddele was ons waens by verre die sterkstes en duursaamstes. Die kakebeenwa het letterlik uit los dele bestaan wat die beweeglikheid en duursaamheid moontlik gemaak het. Die ossewa het 'n sentrale rol gespeel in die lewens van mense in die voorlaaste eeu. Dis was ‘n huis op wiele tydens die Groot Trek (sowat 2000 waens), en is later gebruik vir nagmaal op die dorp of stad, by boerdery, transportry, later jare in die mynbedryf, konstruksieprojekte soos geboue, brüe, monumente, spoorlyne, ensomeer. Die klip vir ons pragtige sandsteen geboue is alles met ossewaens aangery. By die ossewa, wat omtrent teen 'n mens se staptempo gery het, was die gebruik van vere onprakties en te duur, teenoor die perdekar wat vinniger en met minder vrag beweeg het. Die eerste ossewaens wat in die Kaap gebou is, is met plaaslike houtsoorte soos geelhout, stinkhout, rooi-ivoor en ysterhout gemaak. Sekere houtsoorte is dan ook vir spesifieke onderdele gebruik, volgens die eienskappe van die houtsoort, hetsy grootte, buigsaamheid, digtheid of duursaamheid. Die Amatolawoud, wat eens groter as die Knysnawoud was, is heeltemal deur oorbenutting uitgewis, en dele van die Knysnawoude ook. Besondere tegniese vernuf is by die ontwerp en konstruksie van elke wa aan die dag gelê, en met trots is smeewerk en verfversierings aangebring. Elke wa was 'n meesterstuk. Tot in die 1930's en 40's is ossewaens nog op plase vir eenvoudige werk gebruik, al was daar al trekkers en vragmotors in gebruik. Die jammerte is dat hulle oplaas gewoonlik buite moes staan en hul plek in die waenhuis gebruik is vir nuwer toerusting en rytuie. Buite in wind en weer het honderde waens tot hulle einde gekom, verneder tot brandhout en skrootmetaal.

Die skilderye en tapeserieë by die Voortrekkermonument in Pretoria wat deur WA Coetzer geskilder en ontwerp is, is besonder goeie illustratiewe dokumentasie van die ossewa in die daaglikse gebruik, want Coetzer was self 'n wamaker. In die Suid Afrikaanse kultuur, spesifiek vir die Afrikaner, het die ossewa diep spore gelaat. ‘n Ossewa is uitgebeeld in die landswapen, provinsiale- en dorpswapens, agter op munte,

op posseëls, skool- en universiteit-wapens, plekname, monumente en vele meer. In gedigte en volksliedere is die ossewa as staatmakersimbool besing.

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Invasive Species Text: Petro Lemmer Photos: P Lemmer, EWA & Invasives.org.za

lien species were introduced into South Africa for various reasons. Some plants were meant for commercial use, for example Wattle trees for the tannin obtained from the bark for leather tanning, Eucalyptus for the mining industry (props for mine shafts, and because the wood is so durable it is

still being used for telephone and electricity poles) and Pine trees for the manufacture of paper. Other species were imported for ornamental use or for the pet trade and others were brought in by accident in, for instance plant seeds in animal feeds during the Anglo Boer war and more recently, alien mussel species attached to ship hulls, alien wasp nests in shipping containers, nematodes and insect eggs in potted plants, and pets released when they are no longer wanted, e.g. rose-ringed parakeets and red-eared turtles. Many of the alien species have invaded suitable habitat to such an extent that they are considered invasive species and are listed as such. The reason why these species are not invasive species in their country of origin is that the natural enemies present in their own country that control them do not occur here in South Africa. When chemical control of a species is not viable, we have to search in their country of origin for disease organisms like fungi or insects that control the plants naturally. An example of such organisms is the fungus imported to control the exotic Acacia cyclops (Redeye) in the Western Cape, the flower bud weevils that have been released to control bug weed and the mealy bugs (Hypogeococcus pungens) on the Queen of the Night in our area. To obtain a biological agent for the control of invasive plant species is not a simple matter. First it has to be established beyond all doubt that the organism will not attack any indigenous plants or crops that are related to the target species. This involves intensive studies over a long period of time. For instance, Bug weed belongs to the potato family (Solanaceae) and an organism that controls them must not also attack potatoes, tomatoes, egg plants, and tobacco, which all belong to the Solanaceae, as well as the 56 indigenous species that belong to that family. Did you know: Cullinan Conservancy has established two Biological control research plots for the control of Pom pom, the biological agents (Thrips) are doing well and multiplying after surviving the first winter. Where no biological agents exist, or take too long to be evaluated, one needs to resort to the use of chemicals (herbicides) for the control of the invaders. The Registrar of Pesticides has over the years registered many excellent herbicides. Invasive species are controlled by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) – Alien and Invasive Species (AIS) Regulations which became law on 1 October 2014. In terms of these regulations, invasive species are listed in 4 categories: Category 1a: Invasive species must be combatted and eradicated. Any form of trade or planting is strictly prohibited. These plants usually occur in relatively isolated colonies and though very aggressive, their eradication should be manageable e.g. Mauritian hemp (Furcraea foetida).

Furcraea foetida

Category 1b: Invasive species must be controlled and wherever possible, removed and destroyed. Any form of trade or planting is strictly prohibited. They are as invasive as Category 1a organisms, but they occur in such vast numbers that their eradication is not always possible, e.g. Pom pom weed and lantana.

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Mealy bug on Queen of the night

Lantana camara

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Category 2: Invasive species, or species deemed to be potentially invasive, in that a permit is required to carry out a restricted activity (i.e. plantations or orchards). Category 2 species include commercially important species such as pine, wattle and gum trees, also crop species e.g. water cress. Category 2 plants that occur in riparian areas become Category 1b invasive species.

Category 3: Invasive species are species that may remain in prescribed areas or provinces. Further planting, propagation or trade, is prohibited. E.g. Honey suckle & wavy-leaf gaura. Plants that occur in riparian areas become Category 1b invasive species. The invasive status of some species also differ from province to province e.g. California privet is listed as a 1b invasive species in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West and Western Cape, but is listed as Category 3 in the other three provinces. Statice (sea lavender) is a Category 1b invasive species in the Northern Cape and Western Cape, but is not listed as an invader in other provinces. Jacaranda is listed as a Category 1b invader in rural areas of the four

Northern provinces and KwaZulu-Natal, but is not listed as an invasive species in urban areas of these provinces. In addition, if a Jacaranda with a stem diameter of more than 40 cm at 1m bole height grows within 50 meters of the main house on a farm in these five provinces, it is not listed, unless it grows in a riparian area. A number of invasive species occur in the Cullinan Conservancy. To name a few tree species: Bug weed, Pine trees, Eucalyptus, Honey locust, Syringa and Wattle; and shrubs: lantana, privet, canary bird flower, cotoneaster, as well as creepers and climbers: cat’s claw creeper, Madeira vine, moth catcher and honey suckle. Succulent invaders also occur here, e.g. Queen of the Night, Prickly pear and various cacti. Many weeds of crops are also present in the Conservancy as well as a number of ornamental garden plants and water weeds.

Coming events: Dates to diarise.

10 October 2015: Wild Flower walk in our Conservancy on the north-eastern slopes of the Magaliesberg with Petro Lemmer (Specialist botanist). Contact the office for more information. 17 October 2015: Meeting of North-eastern Gauteng Conservancies at aHa Idea Catalyst hosted by Cullinan Conservancy. At this meeting we will be launching the Bankrupt bush survey in Gauteng. We have guest speakers from the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries. The GCSA meeting will follow directly after this meeting. 25 October 2015: Bird count in Cullinan Conservancy. All community members are invited to identify the birds they see during the day and to send the names to the Cullinan Conservancy to enable us to bring our lists up to date.

Cullinan Conservancy contact details: Cullinanconserv@ nes.co.za or you can follow us on the Cullinan Conservancy Facebook page or on our website Cullinan-conservancy

Wavy-leaf Gaura

Cat’s claw creeper

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