The major focus of
this Sub-committee is to play an important part in
the transformation of the national cultural
institutions and other heritage bodies through the
passing of legislation which has been fully and
thoroughly discussed and debated at all levels.
- During the
1996 parliamentary session the National
Archives of South Africa Act No. 43 of 1996 was
passed.
- During the
1997 parliamentary session the Legal
Deposit Act No. 54 of 1997 was
passed.
The following
pieces of legislation are due to be tabled in
Parliament during the third session of 1998:
- National
Libraries Amendment Bill
- Culture
Promotions Amendment Bill
- Cultural
Institutions Rationalisation Bill
- South
African Geographical Names Bill
- National
Heritage Bill
Further information
on both these is available either from the department
of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology or from the
Convenor of the Sub-committee. Comments from
interested parties would be most welcome.
In addition to the
above, there are two other areas which are the cause
of great concern to the Sub-committee, namely:-
- The
illicit trafficking in cultural property,
which includes both the illegal and/or
improper export of works of art and objects
of cultural significance in South Africa and
illegal import into South Africa of works of
objects of cultural significance from other
countries.
- The funding
crisis in our cultural institutions and the
possibility of helping to address this
through the introduction of tax
concessions for donations for heritage or
conservation purposes.
Once again, the
Sub-committee would welcome any comments or
suggestions in regard to these matters, particularly
in so far as international experience is concerned.
Convenor:
Mrs Valerie Viljoen
Tel: (021) 403 3184 ; Fax: (021) 403 2073 ;
E-mail: Valeriev@iafrica.com
Back to Portfolio Sub-Committee
Index
Last Updated on May
31, 1998 by
Henri Fortuin
from the CSIR
SUB-COMMITTEE: CULTURE
and HERITAGE