Mayor in favour of museum
The Mayor of Bela-Bela, Cllr Gloria Seleka has been in talks with other stakeholders, regarding the establishment of a museum for Bela-Bela.
Pieter Olivier, previously from Bethlehem and now staying in Bela-Bela, has been campaigning to establish a local museum for an extensive period. He is in support of Bela-Bela Heritage’s efforts to drive this initiative.
Olivier has extensive knowledge of museum management from his time in Bethlehem, and he wants to impart that knowledge to Bela-Bela, and assist with a museum for the town. Bela-Bela is ideally situated to cater to tourists to the Waterberg region.
In mediating talks with Mayor Seleka, on 29 August, Olivier found her attitude very positive, and two premises have been identified as possible venues for a museum, or even two separate museums for the region.
They are the old clinic building behind the municipal offices in Malan Street, and the British Blockhouse on Paul Sauer Street, a registered national monument built in 1901. Both buildings are older than 60 years and are thus protected under the National Heritage Act 25 of 1999.
The idea is to set up museums and manage them through a single trust. The benefits for Bela-Bela, and the tourist potential is enormous, and building a unified community through heritage is the main aim of this initiative.
Cllr Seleka has indicated that she will consider all options in this regard.
