Since 1994, South Africa has embraced an inclusive and democratic definition of heritage, yet the protection of the built environment remains uneven. While legislation provides a progressive framework, its implementation is fragile: enforcement is weak, penalties are negligible, and development pressures frequently prevail over preservation.
BOOK REVIEWS
Michael Stevenson’s Samuel Daniell: A Life of an Artist in Southern Africa and Ceylon, 1799–1811 stands as a work of rare distinction: sumptuous in production, meticulous in scholarship, and deeply rewarding in intellectual substance.
BLUE PLAQUES
Lionel (Rusty) and Hilda Bernstein were members of the South African Communist Party who played a decisive part in the liberation struggle. Detentions, bannings and house arrest restricted all communication, employment and movement. They had a leading role in the Congress of the People in 1955. Rusty’s words became the Charter’s rallying call “ South Africa belongs to all who live in it, Black and White”