Mid-Karoo Route

The Nama Karoo Biome:

The Nama Karoo Biome occurs on the central plateau of the western half of South Africa, at altitudes between 500 and 2000m, with most of the biome failing between 1000 and 1400m. It is the second-largest biome in the region.

The geology underlying the biome is varied, as the distribution of this biome is determined primarily by rainfall. The rain falls in summer, and varies between 100 and 520 mm per year. This also determines the predominant soil type - over 80% of the area is covered by a lime-rich, weakly developed soil over rock. Although less than 5% of rain reaches the rivers, the high erodibility of soils poses a major problem where overgrazing occurs.

The dominant vegetation is a grassy, dwarf shrubland. Grasses tend to be more common in depressions and on sandy soils, and less abundant on clayey soils. Grazing rapidly increases the relative abundance of shrubs. Most of the grasses are of the C4 type and, like the shrubs, are deciduous in response to rainfall events.

The amount and nature of the fuel load is insufficient to carry fires and fires are rare within the biome. The large historical herds of Springbok and other game no longer exist. Like the many bird species in the area - mainly larks - the game was probably nomadic between patches of rainfall events within the biome. The Brown Locust and Karoo Caterpillar exhibit eruptions under similarly favourable, local rainfall events, and attract large numbers of bird and mammal predators.

Less than 1% of the biome is conserved in formal areas. The Prickly Pear Opuntia aurantiaca and Mesquite Prosopis glandulosa are the major alien invader species. Urbanization and agriculture are minimal, and irrigation is confined to the Orange River valley and some pans. Most of the land is used for grazing, by sheep (for mutton, wool and pelts) and goats, which can be commensurate with conservation. However, under conditions of overgrazing, many indigenous species may proliferate, including Threethorn Rhigozum trichotomum, Bitterbos Chrysocoma ciliata and Sweet Thorn Acacia karoo, and many grasses and other palatable species may be lost. There are very few rare or Red Data Book plant species in the Nama Karoo Biome.

Most of the research into the dynamics of the biome has been done in the east of the region, with the Grootfontein Agricultural Station at Middelburg featuring prominently.

Orange River Water Scheme:

The Orange River (Now called the Gariep) and its major tributary, the Vaal River, convey nearly 23% of the total surface water of South Africa. Considering the generally dry climatic conditions characterizing the sub-continent, it is essential for this fresh water resource to be utilized to the greatest benefit of the country and its people, including those of Namibia.

The pioneer in the development of the water resources of the Orange River was Dr AD Lewis, one of the first administrative heads of the then Department of Irrigation (now the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry). As a result of recurring droughts in the Eastern Cape, Lewis, as early as 1928, broached the idea of building a tunnel from a point near Bethulie underneath the Suurberg Plateau to convey Orange River water via the Teebusspruit and the Brak River to eventually reach the Great Fish River valley.

This concept was followed up in 1944 when field surveys and drilling were initiated. This resulted in a report to the Government in 1948 which proposed a project comprising amongst others, a diversion dam on the Orange River as well as a diversion canal and tunnel underneath the divide to the Great Fish River valley, with a branch canal to the Sundays River valley. The first White Paper on the project was tabled in Parliament in 1951 and the actual development was started soon thereafter.

This was done as a result of the population explosion and accompanying development, which are continually increasing.

A project initially referred to as the Orange River Project was developed to utilize the water of the Orange River for extensive irrigation schemes, for the generation of hydro-electric power and for urban supply, thus providing for the increasing demand for water and food. The developments that have taken place in the Orange River basin are now so complex and inter-dependent that the term Orange River Project is no longer used, although much of the earlier documentation and White Papers still refer to it.

The original main aims of the ORP were:

• to make provision for new irrigation development along the Orange River and various other areas within reach of the river;
• to stabilize the water supply to existing irrigation schemes;
• to afford new life to the fertile but water-deficient Great Fish River and Sundays River valleys;
• to supply water to various urban centres; and
• generate hydro-electric power.

The project would thus:

• increase the value of the South African agricultural production;
• make provision for the establishment of a large number of irrigation farms;
• stimulate the production of meat, wool, milk, lucerne, cotton, wheat, raisins, dried beans and peas, both in the Orange River basin and elsewhere;
• promote economic activity and development in the areas directly involved;
• counteract the migration of the rural population to the cities by creating stable farming communities;
• create recreation facilities in the centre of the interior and promote tourism; and
• level off moderate flood peaks in the course of the river and in the process safeguard riparian communities and irrigation schemes downstream.

Since 1961, the objectives and the planning of the project have been reviewed from time to time due to the changing circumstances and priorities within the Orange River basin and surrounding catchments. Such replanning is normal for a large project of this nature which is developed over a number of decades.

Further planning of the ORP was undertaken to evaluate the water requirements and available resources in the Orange River as well as the impact of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project on these resources. In this regard, a full system analysis of the Orange River was started in 1987 and completed in 1993. This initial study was called the Orange River System Analysis was subsequently updated by the Orange River Replanning Study which was started in 1994 and completed in 1998. Further studies are continually being carried out to investigate specific development options in a continuous effort to plan the efficient use of Orange River water. The quantity of water available for development in the orange River is constantly being assessed and other aspects such as the influences of further developments on the water quality and environment are also being analyzed.

For more information on the Orange River Water Scheme and related projects, see http://www.dwaf.gov.za/orange/Mid_Orange/overview.htm

Owl House of the late Helen Martins:

Helen Martins was born in December 1897 and grew up in Nieu-Bethesda as the youngest of six children. She obtained a teacher’s diploma in nearby Graaff-Reinet and, around that time, married Johannes Pienaar; a teacher, dramatist and in later years a politician. The marriage did not last long and knowledge about her activities in the years that followed is sketchy and often contradictory. She certainly spent time in the Transvaal (now Gauteng), Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

Helen returned to Nieu-Bethesda in the nineteen-thirties to care for her ailing and elderly parents. Her mother, who had long been an invalid, passed away in 1941. Oom Piet Martins died in 1945, and Helen Martins was left alone, with few prospects, in this remote Karoo village. It was some time after this, somewhere in her late forties or early fifties that 'Miss Helen', as she became known, was to begin to transform her surroundings.

It is certain that Miss Helen sought praise and attention through her work but as time progressed, and derision and suspicion grew within the village, she became increasingly reclusive. Miss Helen was notorious for not taking care of herself and as time, arthritis, and the arduous nature of her undertaking took its toll on her physique, she became increasingly shy of her appearance and took great pains to avoid seeing people in the street. The friends that she had however described her as an intensely passionate person who became particularly animated and excited when discussing the latest ideas for her beloved creation.
 
In order to pursue her vision, Miss Helen had successfully managed to endure great physical and emotional hardship. That is, until her eyesight began to fail her. On a cold winters' morning in 1976, at the age of seventy-eight, Helen Martins took her own life by swallowing caustic soda. It was her wish that her creation be preserved as a museum. And her desire to be recognized as an artist is magnificently realized in the attention accorded to the Owl House and the fact that her artwork, once an object of derision and embarrassment, has become the most important asset of the village of Nieu-Bethesda.

To accomplish the transformation of her environment, Helen Martins hired the services of local workmen. First Mr. Jonas Adams, and then Mr. Piet van der Merwe were employed to do structural modifications to the interior of the house - mostly replacing original windows with the vast panes of glass that would bathe Miss Helens' home in multi-coloured hues of light. And when Miss Helen turned her attention to the outside of her house, she asked Piet van der Merwe to help transform her ideas into reality. An early cement owl constructed by Piet remains in the Camel Yard today.

Around this time, Helen Martins employed itinerant sheepshearer and builder Koos Malgas. Koos also tried his hand at manufacturing cement and glass sculptures, and very quickly developed techniques for working with these difficult materials. Miss Helen obviously appreciated his ability to interpret her ideas and before long he was regularly employed on the creation of the Owl House. Every sculpture would be discussed beforehand, usually over early morning coffee in the kitchen, and although Miss Helen seldom did any of the physical work they would together engineer each new inspiration into being. This process developed into a uniquely symbiotic creative relationship that clearly defines Koos's integral part in the creation of the Owl House. Koos Malgas passed away in Graaff-Reinet on 20 November 2000. He was in his early sixties.

In all, Koos spent twelve years working with Helen Martins on the Camel Yard, until her death in 1976. He stayed on in the district for a further two years, until he relocated to Worcester. In 1991 he was persuaded to return to Nieu-Bethesda where he was employed on restoration work to the Owl House until he retired in 1996.

For more information see www.owlhouse.co.za