In November 2019, researchers in the KZNM Department of Human Sciences organized a visit to uMgungundlovu, the site of Dingane’s capital between 1828 and 1838. The archaeological archive linked to this site resides in the KZNM but is also dispersed across other institutions and Chief Curator of Archaeology in the Department of Human Sciences at KZNM Gavin Whitelaw is in the process of convening and making sense of these materials. 

The visit arose out of a collaboration between the Five Hundred Year Archive, ongoing curatorial extensions of the Digital Bleek & Lloyd (University of Cape Town) and metsemegologolo (Wits), a consortium of projects working together under the African Digital Humanities programme (Wits), to develop innovative digital archives of diverse materials pertinent to the history of the region prior to colonial times. The group comprised also Justine Wintjes (KZNM), Stefania Merlo, Anton Coetzee and John Wright (Wits), Carolyn Hamilton, Hussein Suleman, Thokozani Mhlambi and Michelle House (UCT), Frans Roodt (University of Limpopo) and Steve Kotze (KwaMuhle Museum). 

PICTURED: John Wright and Thokozani Mhlambi walking up towards the isigodloat uMgungundlovu. Photo by Justine Wintjes (2019). 

Mudzunga Munzhedzi, Dimakatso Tlhoaele and Thembeka Nxele from the Museum's Human and Natural Science departments attended a workshop that was held at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town last week. The workshop was aimed specifically at English-speaking African countries, targeting young museum professionals . About 30 participants from different countries attended the workshop including two facilitators, Nomusa Makhubu who is a Senior Lecturer of Art History at the University of Cape Town, and Nicole van Dijk who is a Curator at Museum Rotterdam. Participants came from across Africa, notably South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Ghana, and Uganda.

Entomology has a long history in South Africa, and while old specimens give insight into many historical patterns, they are not particularly useful for DNA analysis. From 7 to 24 October 2019, a field trip was conducted to several sites to look for fresh material of rare or poorly sampled Diptera species. The aim of the trip was to re-visit several localities from previous expeditions, such as the Lund University expedition in the 1950s and Brian Stuckenberg’s expedition in the 1960s. Fresh specimens collected from the historical type localities could then be used for DNA analysis.

High altitude sites in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces were the focus of the trip. The collection team, comprising PINDIP partners Kurt Jordaens (Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium) and John Midgley (KwaZulu-Natal Museum, South Africa), as well as Terence Bellingan (Albany Museum, South Africa) and Burgert Muller (National Museum, South Africa), visited several sites in the southern Drakensberg. While some areas in the Drakensberg have been well collected, more inaccessible sites have received less attention. The areas around Lundean’s Nek, Naude’s Nek, Ongeluksnek Nature Reserve, Cobham Nature Reserve and Lotheni Nature Reserve were visited. These out of the way sites yielded many of the same species as the better surveyed sites, but also some rarer species that were unexpected.

Unfortunately, the expedition was a bit early in the season which, along with the late arrival of the summer rains, resulted in fewer overall specimens than expected. However, the collections of rarer species made the trip worthwhile. Plans are already underway for a repeat expedition in early 2021 to collect additional topotypes for DNA analysis.

The expedition was funded by JRS Biodiversity Foundation and Belgian Development Cooperation.