South Africa's Rich Heritage

Preserving The Heritage of The Freedom and Liberation Struggle in South Africa

By Sinazo Mkoko

Ten liberation sites in South Africa have formed part of the UNESCO World Heritage nomination, which is hoped to be discussed at the next session of the World Heritage Committee in 2024. A representative and heritage expert for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Charles Akibode, visited South Africa last month to evaluate Liberation Heritage sites on behalf of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The ten sites, including the Union Buildings, are Walter Sisulu Square, Sharpeville Massacre, Memorial and Graves Site: Police Station, Liliesleaf, 16 June 1976; The Streets of Orlando West, Constitution Hill, Ohlange Institute, University of Fort Hare and ZK Matthews House, Waaihoek Wesleyan Church and The Great Place at Mqhekezweni. These have been selected to form a serial nomination of the next world heritage sites in South Africa.

Relevant stakeholders from various departments and agencies, including the National Heritage Council (NHC), the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), and the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, were in attendance at the reception of the heritage expert by the Presidency on August 3.

The nomination is called Human Rights, Liberation Struggle, and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites, and they are all related to the liberation heritage in South Africa and are anchored on the principles of human rights, liberation, and reconciliation. According to the National Heritage Council, the process is expected to take 16 months to complete from the date the organisation received the nomination from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, which was in March.

The NHC is an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture with a mandate to preserve, protect, and promote the country’s heritage. The Heritage Council stated that this visit was the culmination of work that started ten years ago when a decision was made to preserve the heritage of the freedom and liberation struggle in South Africa.

Charles explained that following this report, there will be a desk review, which will consist of a written report by an expert on the significance of the site that has been nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List or on more specialised topics such as cultural tourism management, risk mitigation at the site level, and management and protection features.

The National Heritage Council said this initiative was inspired by a UNESCO meeting that was hosted by South Africa in 2005. “The Roads to Independence: African Liberation Heritage’ Programme (ALHP) was adopted in 2005 at the 33rd General Conference of UNESCO, recognising struggle heritage as being of universal value and significance.” They said one of the key resolutions was to increase and balance the world heritage sites in Africa.

“When embarking on preserving the story of the “Roads to Independence” for Africa, the South African chapter focused on telling its tale through the “Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route”. It is this project that the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture has assigned to its agency, the National Heritage Council, to implement,” they said.

“This watershed moment is a culmination of years of work, consultations, research, interactions, workshops, side events, revisions, and reiterations of the nomination dossier, to the point where it is now. This dossier has walked a remarkable journey, has undergone significantly elaborate scrutiny at different levels, and has benefited from the wisdom and passion of diverse people in the country, the continent, and the world,” said NHC.

About The South African Heritage Resources Agency(SAHRA)

SAHRA is a statutory organisation established under the National Heritage Resources Act, No 25 of 1999, as the national administrative body responsible for the protection of South Africa’s cultural heritage. The organisation coordinates, monitors and promotes the management of the country’s heritage resources not only for community development and social well-being but also for the benefit of present and future generations. SAHRA also provides guidance to the communities in the areas where National Heritage Sites are found.

About The National Heritage Council (NHC)

This is a Schedule 3A public entity, and an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.With a mandate drawn from the White Paper on Arts and Culture in Section 4 of the National Heritage Council Act no. 11 of 1999, the NHC aims to:

• Develop, promote and protect the national heritage for present and future generations.

• Coordinate heritage management.

• Protect, preserve and promote the content and heritage which resides in orature in order to make it accessible and dynamic.

• Integrate living heritage with functions and activities of the Council and all other heritage authorities and institutions at national, provincial and local levels.

• Promote and protect indigenous knowledge systems including but not limited to enterprise and industry, social upliftment, institutional framework and liberatory processes: and

• Intensify support for the promotion of history and culture of all our peoples and particularly to support research and publications on enslavement in South Africa.