Evidence for historical and recent/contemporary aeolian activity in the west‐central Free State Province, South Africa, is here reviewed, synthesised and supplemented by new data. The evidence is derived from three sources, namely lunette dunes and their capping sediments, fence‐line dunes and buried fences, and contemporary dust entrainment. Prior to settlement by farmers of European origin during the 18th and 19th centuries, this grassland biome supported significant populations of native herbivores and carnivores. Human impact was limited to grazing of cattle and small stock by indigenous inhabitants of the region, with limited subsistence agriculture. The first Europeans to inhabit these grasslands were itinerant trekboers, who hunted game and drove cattle. Subsequent to permanent settlement by farmers in the 19th century, the area was surveyed, title was acquired and commercial agriculture was introduced, further impacting on the environment. There is currently evidence in the landscape that this human impact may have led to enhanced aeolian activity. This paper reviews such evidence. Numerous pans (playas) occur in the area, with sand/clay lunette dunes typically occurring on their downwind margins. At most sites, the lunettes are unconformably capped by sand. Optically stimulated luminescence dates from dunes at five localities reveal a suite of ages between 580 and 60 years, suggesting renewed aeolian sediment mobility in historic times. Further evidence for sediment mobility, which suggests dune building post ca. 1880, was derived from buried barbed‐wire fences and recent fence‐line dunes, which border land currently under the plough. Finally, there is evidence of mobile dust derived from dust traps used to monitor aeolian sediment mobility on agricultural land, as well as at a pan site. It is proposed that historic and current land‐use practices have contributed to sediment mobility and, by implication, may promote land degradation in the area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Over the years, the Phiphidi sacred natural site has been protected by traditional methods or cultural codes. However, over the past three decades, anthropogenic pressures have affected the site. This study aimed to investigate the historical uses of the Phiphidi sacred natural site and contemporary anthropogenic threats to the area, and the implications on the sustainability of the area. The data supporting this study were collected between June 2018 and May 2021, during which (i) interviews, (ii) observations and (iii) documents were used as the main techniques of data collection. Non-probabilistic purposive (also known as judgemental) sampling was used to select respondents including the custodians of the Phiphidi sacred natural site, officials working at Phiphidi Waterfall, representatives of the Dzomo La Mupo committee and local communities. The data obtained from interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis. Field observations helped in validating the data that were collected through interviews. The study showed that although the sacred site was historically a ‘no go area’ and was used to connect with ancestors and perform rituals, contemporary anthropogenic threats affecting the Phiphidi sacred site include weak property right systems and tourism infrastructure development that has led to land-use conflicts that have been driven by vested interests. The contemporary practices not only undermine the Vhavenda culture but also have negative implications for the biodiversity of the area. In addition, the current practices undermine the founding principles of the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa; these embrace culture, religion and the country’s environmental laws. While passion to save the sacred sites by custodians and local communities is still alive, government support is weak and, as a result, there are fears that other sacred sites in the region may also be targeted for tourism purposes. Several suggestions are made that, if implemented, could help to protect the remaining sacred natural sites.

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The Florisbad Spring site displays lithological and stratigraphical complexity within a unique geomorphological setting. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain this complex depositional environment, and the origins of the spring site and mound are an ongoing topic of debate. To provide a context within which better to understand the depositional environment of Florisbad, the site and its surroundings were investigated. To this end, aerial photographs and Google Earth imagery, combined with field mapping and an analysis of sediments from and around the spring mound, were used to assist in a broad palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Particular attention was paid to the depositional environment on and around the spring mound. The results did not reveal obvious differences with respect to the sedimentology of lunette dunes in the vicinity, and the spring mound itself. However, there were minor, but potentially significant differences in structure and chemical composition. Evidence suggests that the sediments are primarily of aeolian origin, while geochemical differences suggest that the south-western lunette could predate the spring mound. Optically stimulated luminescence ages confirm reworking of sediment for one of the lunettes. The morphology of the lunettes suggests that this technique would not necessarily yield primary ages for lunette formation due to sediment reworking. The meso-scale geomorphology suggests a shallow depression in which structural control and both fluvial and aeolian processes have worked together to create a unique landscape that promoted the formation and preservation of dune deposits and the unique archaeological site that is Florisbad.

Determining the timing and drivers of Pleistocene hydrological change in the interior of South Africa is critical for testing hypotheses regarding the presence, dynamics, and resilience of human populations. Combining geological data and physically based distributed hydrological modeling, we demonstrate the presence of large paleolakes in South Africa’s central interior during the last glacial period, and infer a regional-scale invigoration of hydrological networks, particularly during marine isotope stages 3 and 2, most notably 55 to 39 ka and 34 to 31 ka. The resulting hydrological reconstructions further permit investigation of regional floral and fauna responses using a modern analog approach. These suggest that the climate change required to sustain these water bodies would have replaced xeric shrubland with more productive, eutrophic grassland or higher grass-cover vegetation, capable of supporting a substantial increase in ungulate diversity and biomass. The existence of such resource-rich landscapes for protracted phases within the last glacial period likely exerted a recurrent draw on human societies, evidenced by extensive pan-side artifact assemblages. Thus, rather than representing a perennially uninhabited hinterland, the central interior’s underrepresentation in late Pleistocene archeological narratives likely reflects taphonomic biases stemming from a dearth of rockshelters and regional geomorphic controls. These findings suggest that South Africa’s central interior experienced greater climatic, ecological, and cultural dynamism than previously appreciated and potential to host human populations whose archaeological signatures deserve systematic investigation.