NO. 3 ENCLOSURE
This is the most north-westerly enclosure of the temple, the north-west main wall from (590 ft.) to (660 ft.) forming its north-westerly boundary. The south side is formed by No. 1 Enclosure, the west by No. 4 Enclosure, and the north and east by No. 2 Enclosure.
The area is keystone-shaped, being 76 ft. long on its north-west side, 45 ft. 6 in. on its west side, 71 ft. on the south side, and 50 ft. 6 in. on the north and east side.
The North-West Entrance to the temple is at (606 ft. 6 in.) to (611 ft. 6 in.) on the north-west side of the enclosure. (See Main Wall, North-West Entrance, for description.)
The entrance in the west wall between Nos. 3 and 4 Enclosures was not at the present gap in the débris of this wall, as the gap was made for the convenience of visitors. The foundations of this wall end abruptly at 25 ft. from its east end, this portion of the wall being in a fairly good condition for 14 ft., and being from 3 ft. to 6 ft. high.
The entrance to No. 1 Enclosure is in the south wall at 45 ft. to 49 ft. from the west wall.
The east entrance has rounded sides, is 2 ft. wide, and the side walls are 4 ft. high. This entrance leads from South Passage, and is immediately inside the North Entrance to the temple.
A drain from No. 1 Enclosure is in the angle formed by the west and south walls.
Possibly this enclosure was once subdivided, but when mediæval and even later Makalanga occupied the temple for their residence and cattle kraal the sub-divisional walls were removed. That this portion of the temple was used for this purpose is demonstrated both by “finds” and the condition of the enclosure, and these support the native assertion to this effect. The remains of a wall runs north-west from the south-west corner of the enclosure towards the west side of the North-West Entrance. This is 16 ft. long, 2 ft. high, and 3 ft. 6 in. wide. A second wall is believed to have once stood between the west side of the entrance to No. 1 Enclosure and the north and east side wall.
Nos. 3 & 4 ENCLOSURES AND WEST MAIN WALL, ELLIPTICAL TEMPLE
At (640 ft.) is a long granite slab, which has evidently fallen from the summit of the main wall. Probably it was a tie or “through” stone, as the summit of the main wall had been bonded with similar stones.
In the angle formed by the north-east and north-west walls are the remains of a large rounded buttress now only 2 ft. high. Possibly this might be one of the platforms with “blind steps” (see Architecture—Blind Steps) which are found in the angles in several of the temple enclosures.
This enclosure appears to have been filled in with stones and earth at a very late period, as the filling-in contains at all depths portions of Makalanga pottery and lumps of iron slag. The ancient floor is believed to be some 2 ft. below the present surface.