Tsodilo paintings survive veldt fires

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Thursday October 30, 2008 00:00

 The visit targeted the Tsodilo Hills and the Gcwhihaba caves, where fire damage was first reported by Mmegi's sister paper, the Monitor, three weeks ago.  The team consisted of Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture permanent secretary, Tiki Pule, her principal spokeswoman, Keneilwe Segopolo, as well as the director of museum and monuments, Gaogakwe Phorano. Journalists were also in the team.

The acting director in the Department of Forestry and Rangeland Management, Raymond Kwerepe, also joined the team, which started its mission on Sunday with a tour of the Tsodilo Hills. The site visit at Tsodilo was however, limited to the female and male hills. The ministry officials were interested in showing that despite the fires scorching all the three hills, the damage was restricted to those sides of the hills, which do not have so much value   while the most delicate part of the female hill and its surroundings were unaffected.

The female hill contains some 4,500 paintings, as well as a cave, the sacred spring, all of which remained intact. The vegetation around the southern and western sides of the female hill were also not touched by the fires.

However, the Department of Forestry was spot on when they reported that the Tsodilo Hills have been gutted by the fires. Evidence now shows that fire destroyed a stretch of land  from just outside Samuchima village right up to Tsodilo (40km) before it was finally contained.  All in all 1,961 hectares of land at Tsodilo Hills alone was affected by the fires, including the male, female, and the child hills, according to Kwerepe. Although the damage on the female hill was observed from a distance on the day, evidence at the male hill showed that the fire torched (the male hill) it, before it was eventually contained after covering the hill, which had vegetation to fuel the fire. But the rocks on the male hill also assisted the fire fighters as they (rocks) acted as fire-breakers. The fact that the vegetation on the hill was not so thick also helped the fire-fighters contain the fire on its way up. Tsodilo Hills' overseers say the fire that attacked the female hill travelled at a very high speed, engulfing the eastern and northern sides of the hills. However, the team was not taken around the female hill to see the damage. 

The torched side of the female hill could only be viewed from a distance. But the overseers say the fires torched little vegetation on the hill before it was finally contained. The northern and eastern sides of both hills have vegetation that fed the fires. Kwerepe was concerned that giant trees around the hills were destroyed by the fires. He, however, suggested that controlled burning of the veldt within 100m of the hills should be considered as a fire-breaker.

Kwerepe opines that if controlled burning of the bush around the hills was practised, then future fires could be nipped in the bud.

Although the fires reached the male hill, Tsodilo overseers are relieved that the few paintings on the western side of the hill were not damaged. The paintings, according to the site managers, were strategically drawn making it difficult for the on-rushing fires to affect them.