George

by Charles Helm

To coincide with the 1998 Easter SASA meet in Great Brak River, enquiries were made among old-timers and locals as to possible cave locations in the area. These enquiries yielded two potential sites.

We were informed of a cave on the farm Platjieskraal on the Moordkuil River, one of the two main drainages of the Little Brak River. Allegedly seven tons of bat guano had been removed from it around the turn of the century. Although the farm has recently been sold, the previous owner was contacted and he was able to give a precise description of the location. He stated that his father, who had removed tons of guano, last mined the cave for guano during the Second World War.

Access to the cave involved a crossing of the river and a whack through the forest to reach the interesting furrow which was built in the early part of the century. The party was equipped with a stepladder as the cave was situated about five metres vertically above the furrow in a cliff side. The entrance was found without difficulty and most of the party entered the cave, which, however, proved somewhat disappointing. It remained narrow and led upwards for a distance of just under ten metres. It contained little of note except for two bats and no guano. It was difficult to imagine the alleged vast quantities of guano, and it was decided that allowance needed to be made for the growth of these historical accounts with time. Although 7-kilogram Cave was suggested as an alternative name, 7-ton Cave seemed historically more appropriate.

There was not time to explore the rest of this cliff-face, which is situated in a big sharp concave curve in the valley. It was full of interesting-looking holes which would merit some follow-up.

The second cave was one well known to locals in the Little Brak area. The farmer was most helpful and allowed access. In the 'olden days' this cave was described as being large enough to hold "veertien vertrekke". It is also in the Moordkuil valley but further downstream, and also just above the furrow. It is essentially an overhang rather than a true spelaeological cave, but its impressive dimensions did not disappoint the party. Its entrance measured 20 metres x 10 metres, and its depth 20 metres. Its floor was covered in a fine dust in which were found numbers of hand-axes and shells. Apparently it has been combed for other artifacts without success although San paintings and a skeleton were discovered nearby. Although it overlooks the valley, it is not visible from a distance as the entrance is bounded by forest.

Both caves were surveyed. Further work is possible in this area.

Caves