THE TEAM

David John Halkett (MA, University of Cape Town)

David is a long standing member of the Association of Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) and an accredited Principal Investigator of the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) section.

Principal Investigator: Coastal and Shell middens; Grave Relocation; Industrial; Rock Art and Stone Age

Having co-directed the Archaeology Contracts Office at the University of Cape Town (one of the first heritage resource management companies in South Africa) for 24 years, David is now a director of the recently established ACO Associates cc. With 34 years of working experience in heritage impact assessments, conservation and archaeological research, he has worked in a wide variety of contexts and participated in over a thousand heritage projects ranging from Heritage and Archaeological impact assessments, to mitigation of archaeological sites in suburban, rural and industrial (mining) situations. David’s broad experience in heritage management has led to his participation as an advisor to the National Monuments Council up until 2000, and more recently as a member of two Heritage Western Cape regulatory committees, the Impact Assessment Review Committee (IACOM) and the Archaeology, Paleontology and Meteorites Committee (APM). He has served on occasion as a forensic consultant to the Missing Persons Unit of the NPA. He has led field projects on behalf of both local and overseas research organisations, and continues to participate in research on an ad hoc basis. His research interests include aspects of the Middle and Later Stone Ages, and Colonial era of southern Africa and has co-authored a number of peer reviewed journal articles on these topics.

Halkett publications and other work

Tim Hart (MA, University of Cape Town)

Tim is a professional archaeologist registered with ASAPA (Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists) and its CRM section. Though now retired, he assists ACO where necessary.

Principal Investigator: Coastal & Shell Midden; Colonial Period; Grave Relocation; Industrial; Rock Art and Stone Age

Tim started his first professional job in archaeology in 1983 working for the Spatial Archaeology Research Unit at the Dept of Archaeology, University of Cape Town. In 1984 Tim joined the Zeekoe Valley Archaeological Project run by prof Garth Sampson of Southern Methodist University, Dallas Texas where he developed a passion for Karoo heritage. He obtained the degree of MA from UCT in 1987 which was based on the study of later Stone Age events in the Great Karoo. In 1988 Tim Hart was employed as a project manager at the newly formed Archaeology Contracts Office at UCT and along with David Halkett took over management of the ACO in 1991. During the course of the next 22 years the ACO was involved in numerous projects throughout South Africa, several of which were precedent setting in the Southern African context – in particular the discovery of the Chavonnes Battery in the Waterfront in Cape Town and the unmarked paupers cemeteries of Green Point as well as the first involvement of archaeologists in forensic excavation. Tim enjoys survey work, and issues around heritage objects (particularly early technology, firearms, industrial heritage and transport), he has a special interest in historical buildings and the conservation of landscapes and historic places.

Tim has sat on the council of ASAPA and was a committee member of the old NMC. He has participated on the committees of both SAHRA and Heritage Western Cape. Tim has published various peer reviewed journals.

Hart publications

Mr John Gribble

John is registered as a professional archaeologist, and is a member of ASAPA (Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists) and its CRM section:

To be updated soon

> John Gribble publications

Liesbet Schietecatte (MA, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; MSc, UCT)

Liesbet obtained a MA in archaeology from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 1998. Her thesis involved a study of the leather artefacts (mainly shoes) from the 14th-15th century fishing village Walraversijde near Ostend on the North Sea coast. Subsequently, she worked for the  Flemish Heritage Institute (VIOE) and projects included extensive excavations at Walraversijde, and at the post-medieval city fortifications of Ostend. She participated in field surveys within the framework of the European Uion’s Planarch III project, and also performed public liaison around maritime archaeology.

After visiting South Africa, she registered for a MSc degree at UCT. She completed her dissertation in 2004 which was a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from animal bone and soil  from five medieval sites in Belgium. She later worked for the maritime section of SAHRA before joining the Archaeology Contracts Office in 2007. She assists with the administration of the office and assists with historical projects in and around the city of Cape Town or further afield. Furthermore, she is part of the project team for the Lotto funded “Green Point Burial Ground Project”.

Schietecatte publications