Cnr Waterkant and Buitengracht Street

Background
The City of Cape Town’s Electricity Department is busy laying cables for the new Portside Development. Part of the trench passes through a section of the Green Point Burial ground. The Department was informed that they were required to complete and submit a NID to HWC prior to starting any work.
On Friday 3 May 2013, Mr Shiraaz Swartland emailed to inform the Environment and Heritage Resources Branch (E&HM) that bones had been uncovered.
Findings
The contractors took the bones to the Green Point CID office at Prestwich Memorial Precinct on Saturday 4 May 2013. The contractors had already left site by the time we had arrived.
It is clear that the trenches have been excavated along pre-existing alignments and therefore already disturbed contexts. There were no evidence in the sections of the trenches that intact burials were disturbed.
Recommendation
Once the NID has been completed and submitted to HWC, the stop works order could be rescinded. The archaeologist at E&HM could monitor the remainder of the works. Unarticulated bone fragments should be collected and if human, be accessioned to the Prestwich Ossuary.