A critique by Dr Frescura on the state of heritage conservation in South Africa appeared on The Heritage Portal on the 1st December, 2015. Ms Smuts and Mr Gribble, responded to the criticism, writing on behalf of SAHRA, in which they mount a defense of the national heritage resources authority (SAHRA). [Click here to view both pieces]
Both the critique and the rebuttal by Smuts and Gribble call for comment because an analysis of the rebuttal suggests that, notwithstanding its rather superficial and unconvincing nature, it is nevertheless officially sanctioned by the heritage authority in terms of Section 14 (1) (a) and (b). This section states:
“The affairs of SAHRA are under the control, management and direction of a Council consisting of—
(a) at least nine but not more than 15 members appointed by the Minister in the prescribed manner, of which nine members must respectively represent each of the provinces of South Africa; and
(b) the chief executive officer of SAHRA.”
The rebuttal is far from reassuring because it reveals that:
SAHRA appears to pick and choose what sections of the NHRA to obey and those parts of the legislation that do not suit its convenience, purpose or policy are ignored. This leads to a situation where the system of heritage management as envisaged in the NHRA fails; and
Smuts and Gribble, in their interpretation of the Act, are not always accurate.
Therefore when it is alleged, inter alia, that from a legislative and practical point of view the system of heritage conservation...
Over the last few weeks the seeds of a very important discussion have been planted with some big names in the heritage sector speaking out. In late September 2015 Dr Franco Frescura, Professor and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, published a critique of the heritage resources management sector in South Africa. This included statements about the performance of the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and the various Provincial Heritage Resources Authorities (PHRAs). On 27 November 2015 Katie Smuts, Manager of the National Inventory Unit at SAHRA, and Mr John Gribble, Manager of SAHRA's Maritime Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit, responded to the critique. Both articles are published below. We encourage members of the heritage community to add their views in the comments section at the bottom of the piece (feel free to email admin@theheritageportal.co.za and we will add comments for you).
THE GREAT SOUTH AFRICAN HERITAGE DISASTER - Franco Frescura
It would be true to state that, from a legislative and practical point of view, historical conservation in South Africa is an unmitigated disaster, and has been one since the demise of the old National Monuments Council in 1999. For all its ideological faults and Broederbond associations the NMC had a national infrastructure which its successor, the South African Heritage Resources Agency, SAHRA, had every opportunity of taking over and transforming to meet the needs of the new South African democracy. Instead SAHRA abandoned its regional structures, and retreated to its offices in the Western Cape which are now populated by insecure incompetents more concerned with drawing...
