Issued by: The Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology
MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF ARTS, CULTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MR LIONEL PHM MTSHALI
LEGACY PROJECTS
Minister Mtshali has announced that several legacy projects of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) have been approved by Cabinet. These projects, under the Legacy Committee of the Department, have been identified for delivery during 1998 and early 1999.
These projects are:
- Chief Albert Luthuli Commemoration,
- Blood River Commemoration,
- Women's Monument,
- Samora Machel Memorial,
- Centenary of the Anglo-Boer War,
- Nelson Mandela Museum,
- Freedom Park,
- Khoi-San Heritage.
The Legacy Project was established to acknowledge the previously neglected, marginalised and distorted South African heritage. The expression of the Country's history through monuments, museums and other forms to commemorate what is meaningful to all South Africans, has the potential to contribute to reconciliation and nation building in the Country.
The Legacy Project, approved by Cabinet in 1997, is administered by the DACST, and is co-ordinated by the Legacy Committee. The Legacy Committee, chaired by the Director-General of DACST, is an inter-departmental committee tasked with the establishment of new and diverse monuments, museums, and commemorations.
The following projects have been prioritised for urgent implementation:
- Chief Albert Luthuli
A tribute to South Africa's first Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli. It is envisaged that an appropriate commemorative memorial will be unveiled in December 1998 in the area in which he lived in Kwazulu-Natal. It is anticipated that Cabinet will be briefed fully by 31 July 1998;
- Blood River
A commemoration that will involve a reinterpretation of this historical event. Consideration will be given to the installation of an appropriate memorial at this historical site. It is envisaged that Cabinet should be briefed on progress by the middle of August 1998. This project is earmarked for completion in December 1998;
- Women's Monument
A monument to commemorate the contribution to the struggle for freedom by all the women of South Africa, irrespective of race, colour and political affiliation, to be erected at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on the site of the historic women's anti-pass march of August 9 1956;
Samora Machel
A commemoration to the late Mozambican President, Samora Machel. The commemoration will take the form of an appropriate monument to be erected on the site of the plane crash in which President Machel died at Mbuzini, Mpumalanga, as well as the establishment of a community facility dedicated to the memory of the late President Samora Machel for the benefit of the community at Mbuzini;
The Centenary of the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902
An appropriate commemoration of the war is envisaged. The event will be placed in a national context. It is planned that this event will commemorate the conflict within the broad principles of inclusivity, reconciliation and a balanced historical perspective. The broad impact of the war, not only on the Boers and the British, but also on black South Africans, will be captured;
Nelson Mandela Museum
A Presidential Museum will be established at Umtata in the Eastern Cape, to house the many awards and gifts received by the President. The proposed museum will endeavour to tell the story of the life of President Mandela;
Freedom Park
This heritage project involves the development of a dynamic multi-dimensional commemoration aimed at telling the history of South Africa from pre-colonial times up to the present. The project will also commemorate all those who fell in the struggle for liberation. The project marks the celebration of the attainment of freedom and democracy. It is envisaged that the project will be a symbolic expression of the themes of Struggle, Democracy and Nation-Building, which express our past, present and future. The components of Freedom Park incorporate, amongst others, a monument to victims of the struggle, a museum dedicated to the history of the freedom struggle, and an indigenous garden of reflection and meditation;
Khoi-San heritage
This project will focus on the recognition of the contribution of the Khoi-San to the total heritage of the Country.
The Minister has indicated that consultations and other extensive preliminary work will be undertaken with the social cluster of Ministers around the Freedom Park Project and the Womens' Monument. It is anticipated that Cabinet will be apprised of progress reports on the preparations for the commemoration of the centenary of the Anglo-Boer War within the next two to three months. The conceptualisation of the Khoi-San Project should be finalised in six months' time.
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