A few weeks ago (late September 2013) we paid a depressing visit to George Harrison Park in Langlaagte, the site of the discovery of the largest gold field on earth. The Geological Society's Blue Plaque has been removed, building rubble is scattered around the main entrance, the panels revealing the significance of the site have been damaged by fire and the main memorial looks battered to say the least. It is incredibly sad to see one of the most important heritage sites in South Africa looking so neglected.
The fire marked memorial
Battered Main Memorial (The Heritage Portal)
The poor state of the site is not a recent phenomenon. Residents and tour companies have been complaining for years while authorities continue to grapple with problems like vandalism and fire damage from vagrants in a resource scarce environment. (Some may remember drastic measures having to be taken by Eric Itzkin, the Deputy Director of Immovable Heritage, to save the Langlaagte Stamp Battery that was being used as source of firewood. Thankfully the Battery stands proudly in the Main Street Mining Mall today.)
In 2010 things were looking...
