Local heritage sites receive new plaques

The City of Johannesburg’s process of renovating and putting up Alex Heritage Plaques which started earlier this year is progressing well and a number of sites have already been given the new plagues.

According to the Alexandra Heritage Society’s social history researcher Thabo Mopasi, the drive to place new plagues on various sites in the township is an initiative of the city in partnership with the society, the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce, and the Joburg Heritage Foundation.

“We started installing new plaques for AME Church, MC Weiler Primary School and then we went to put up plaques for Hilda And Joe Phahle’s family at 2nd Avenue in recognition of the scholarly role they played when they invested their time to promote education in Alexandra.

“We have also put-up other plagues at their home [Hilda And Joe Phahle] in recognition of raids that happened in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana in 1985,” Mopasi added.
The house of the ANC leader former Minister of Intelligence Joe Nhlanhla has also been recognised as a heritage site and the society renovated the plaques to put it closer to where people will be able to read and see it and the same has been done with Amalgamated Primary School now Ikage Primary School, Mopasi added.

Renovated plaques have also been put up at the former Nelson Mandela House on 7th Avenue, Moses Kotane House, Catholic Church, Thomas Piliso, Coloured School, Mens Hostel, Jukskei River, TB Settlement just to mention a few out of a total of the 16 sites with new plagues from a total of 32 sites in Alex altogether.

The city is yet to place more plagues on the remaining 16 sites, but this may be delayed due to budget constraints, Mopasi said, adding that one of the other sites that will be given a plague is Iphutheng Primary School which recently celebrated 100 years.

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