The objective of this article is threefold: To re-evaluate the concept of wilderness as a
place to be experienced by human beings as part of their outdoor recreational needs;
to investigate if reclaimed post-industrial urban quarries can fulfil these needs, and to
investigate the legislative frameworks in South Africa within which such reclamation
and re-use can be undertaken. The objective is not to present detailed case studies
of post-industrial urban quarries that have been rehabilitated or redeveloped for
a different land use, but rather to demonstrate the potential of such quarries. The
majority of South Africa’s population is urbanised and has hardly any prospect,
due to various constraints, of ever visiting natural or even ‘man-made wilderness’
areas for recreational purposes. The currently held concept of wilderness is critically
evaluated and the need to change our perception of wilderness is discussed. The
biophysical and socio-economic nature, as well as the legal framework, within which
the redevelopment potential of our ubiquitous post-industrial urban quarries must
be viewed, are examined to determine whether they can be reclaimed as outdoor
recreation places and a new ‘urban wilderness’. It is shown, through a literature review
and examining five case studies, that reclaimed quarries can satisfy urban dwellers’
innate need for outdoor recreational spaces and natural or wilderness areas, albeit
man-made and despite the procedural challenges posed by the requirements of the
South African regulatory urban spatial planning frameworks and Acts.
Die doel van hierdie artikel is drieledig: Om die konsep van wildernis as ’n plek wat
mense kan ervaar as deel van hul buitelug-ontspanningsbehoeftes te herevalueer;
om te bepaal of herwinde postindustriële stedelike steengroewe aan hierdie behoeftes
kan voldoen, en om die wetlike raamwerke waarbinne sodanige herwinning en
hergebruik kan plaasvind te ondersoek. Die doel is nie om detailleerde gevallestudies
van sodanige steengroewe aan te bied nie maar eerder om die potensiaal daarvan aan
te toon. Die meerderheid van die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking is verstedelik en het min
vooruitsigte, weens verskeie beperkings, om ooit natuurlike of selfs ‘mensgemaakte’
wildernisgebiede vir ontspanning te besoek. Die huidig-aanvaarde konsep van
wildernis word krities geëvalueer en die noodsaaklikheid om ons persepsie van
wildernis te verander word bespreek. Die biofisiese en sosio-ekonomiese aard
van ons alomteenwoordige postindustriële stedelike steengroewe word ondersoek
om te bepaal of hulle herwin kan word as plekke van buitelugontspanning en ’n
nuwe ‘stedelike wildernis’. Daar word aangetoon, deur middel van ’n literatuuroorsig
en vyf gevallestudies, dat herwinde postindustriële stedelike steengroewe wel
stedelinge se ingebore behoefte vir buitelug-ontspanningsplekke en natuurlike
of wildernisgebiede, alhoewel mensgemaak, kan bevredig ten spyte van die
prosedurele uitdagings wat deur die vereistes van die Suid-Afrikaanse regulatoriese
stedelike beplanningsraamwerke en wette gestel word.
Sepheo sa atikele ena se na le dikarolo
tse tharo: Ho hlahloba botjha kgopolo
ya nahathote/lefella jwaloka sebaka
seo batho ba ka se bonang e le karolo
ya ditlhoko tsa bona tsa boithabiso.
Ho fuputsa hore na dibaka tse bileng
teng ka mora diindasteri di tla kgona
ho phethahatsa ditlhoko tsena le ho
fuputsa meralo ya molao Afrika Borwa,
eo ho yona ho tsosolosa le tshebediso
botjha di ka etswang. Sepheo hase ho
hlahisa dithuto tsa mehlala (case study)
tse nang le dintlha ka dibaka tse bileng
teng ka mora diindasteri, tse lokisitsweng
kapa tse ntlafaditsweng bakeng sa
tshebediso e fapaneng le ya lefatshe,
empa e le ho bontsha bokgoni ba dibaka
tse kang tseo. Boholo ba baahi ba Afrika
Borwa ba phela setoropo, mme ba na le
toro/tjhebelopele e nnyane ka lebaka la
ditshitiso tse itseng ya ho etela dibaka tsa
tlhaho kapa nahathote/lefella le entsweng
ke batho bakeng sa mabaka a fapaneng
a boithabiso. Kgopolo e teng hajwale ka
nahathote/lefella e hlahlojwa ka botebo
le tlhoko ya ho fetola kgopolo ya rona
ka nahathote/lefella di a sekasekwa. Saense ya tshebediso ya melao ya tlhaho
(biophysical) le tsa setjhaba le moruo
(socio-economic nature), hammoho le
moralo o molaong moo teng kgonahalo
ya ntlafatso ya dibaka tsa rona tse bileng
teng ka mora diindasteri lefatsheng
ka bophara di tlamehile ho bonwa. Di
hlahlojwe bakeng sa ho bona hore na
di ka kgona ho tsoswa jwaloka dibaka
tsa kantle tsa boithabiso le nahathote/
lefella la motsetoropo. Ho bontshwa
hore, ka tekodisiso ya dingolwa le ho
hlahloba dithuto tse hlano tsa mehlala;
tse hlalositseng hore dibaka tsena di
kgona ho kgotsofatsa ditlhoko tsa tlhaho
tsa baahi ba toropong, tsa dibaka tsa
boithabiso tse kantle le dibaka kapa
nahathote/lefella la tlhaho; le hoja di
entswe ke batho, hape ntle le diphepetso
tsa tsamaiso tse tlisitsweng ke dipehelo
tsa tsamaiso ya meralo ya tshebetso
ya sepakapaka toropong le melao ya
Afrika Borwa.
