September 2004-2005  Ms Lida van der Merwe working on physical anthropological description of the Gladstone human remains. 

2004  Rescue of human remains from similar development disturbances at Alexandersfontein, Transvaal Road and Greenpoint (Kimberley).

10 November 2003 Workshop on physical anthropology and forensic study, Cape Town.

3-6 November 2003 Public consultation meetings in Kimberley.

October 2003 Investigation at the trench concluded. Temporary storage of material at McGregor Museum. Discussions with UCT physical anthropologist.

14 August 2003 Meeting chaired by Mr Z. Debedu with project team leaders and Sol Plaatje Councillors and Municipal officials to discuss the public process. Sol Plaatje officials to organise consultation meetings, which would also address the reinterment of human remains accidentally disturbed in Greenpoint in 1995. Press release provided and issued from Mr Matsie's office in September.

29 July 2003 Three team members attend public consultation meeting in Cape Town and discuss physical anthropology and forensic study for Gladstone remains.

16 June 2003 Separate permit (80/03/06/006/51) issued to investigate possible extension of cemetery onto De Beers property. No evidence for this found. Eastern perimeter and original wooden fence posts found within a few m of the trench.

11 June 2003 Media release from Mr Matsie's office.

26 May 2003 Media briefing by Adv P.R.O. Sehunelo, Mr Sello Matsie and Mr David Morris: media coverage in local press, radio and TV. Notices subsequently erected at site, in Afrikaans, Setswana, IsiXhosa and English, calling for any concerned persons or groups to register their interest to be part of the public consultation process. Notices to be up for at least 60 days.

May 9 2003 Sol Plaatje Municipality requests that all press releases be kept in abeyance until the community from which the deceased originated was apparent.

May 6 2003 Municipal and Heritage officials meet with Dean of Kimberley to discuss a public participation process and media coverage.

April 29 - May 5 2003 Preliminary assessment of damage, recovery of loose and exposed human bones (graves and dump site), and commencement of excavations to investigate the nature and origins of the graves that had been disturbed. A team of professional archaeologists with helpers recruited from the local and wider Kimberley community was assembled for the project. Principles of Batho Pele applied at every stage of planning.

April 29 2003 Meeting with Sol Plaatje Municipality. Municipality requests D. Morris of McGregor Museum to apply for SAHRA permit to carry out investigation. SAHRA permit 80/03/04/004/51 issued with effect from 29 April 2003.

April 25 2003 Archaeologists inspect the damage and alert SAHRA. Law states that graves outside a demarcated cemetery and older than 60 years are subject to provisions of National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999).

April 2003 Trenching for development of storm water drainage in Municipal Servitude east of the cemetery. 180 m of this trench accidentally cut through an unmarked burial ground outside the demarcated Gladstone Cemetery, disturbing 145 graves. In several cases human remains were less than 1 m from the present surface. Ground from the trench (including human remains) was dumped on an old slimes dam site half way to Kenilworth.

There had been no archaeological impact assessment prior to this project commencing.

? Eskom power line in Municipal Servitude east of the cemetery. There is reason to believe that at least one grave was encountered on this occasion. Human remains thrown across fence.

March 1998 Site plan shows size of demarcated cemetery as only 3.6234 ha. (Was 7.2843 ha in 1883). Where is the rest of the cemetery?

? Building of Flamingo Court and residential units at northern end of cemetery - graves encountered outside officially demarcated cemetery.

? Cemetery demarcated - new boundary fence.

April 1902 Gladstone Cemetery re-opened for "European Interments".

mid-1900 Gladstone cemetery closed.

It is most likely that the burials accidentally disturbed in April 2003 date to between 1897 and mid-1900.

1897 An extra strip of land (east and south sides of cemetery) transferred to Kimberley Borough Council. (It is within this strip that the proposed storm water trench was dug in April 2003).

1883 Gladstone Cemetery officially proclaimed and transferred to Kimberley Borough Council, but "for some time" previously was used for "native" burials (approx 1500 burials).
Size of cemetery in 1883: 7.2843 ha.

Pre-1870 Pre-colonial and proto-colonial history. No major local settlement. "Transvaal Road Burial" dated to AD 1650 belongs to this period.