Straight out of the horse’s mouth
Christianson enquired about the status quo of the World Heritage Site as well as what the chances are of having Nukain Mabuza's stone garden at Revolver Creek restored to its former glory.
It’s not every day that Barbertonians have the chance to question the minister of arts and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, about the town and the future of its heritage sites.
On Friday, an imbizo hosted by Mthethwa at the Alliance Church in KaBokweni provided just such an opportunity. The event was open to the public and Astrid Christianson (Barberton Tourism) and Andrea Botha (Barberton Odyssey) were among the nine locals who attended.
They were personally invited by the assistant director of performing arts, Simon Khumalo, to represent Barberton. The rest of the party were made up of representatives of Barberton Museum, members of Poetic Minds and a student of Barberton Tourism.
Christianson, who is passionate about the history of Barberton, jumped at the chance to question the minister. She enquired about the status quo of the World Heritage Site as well as what the chances are of having Nukain Mabuza’s stone garden at Revolver Creek restored to its former glory.
The minister said, “Astrid, I can see your passion,” and promised to get back to her on both these matters. Christianson and Botha gave him a copy of John Clark’s book, The Painted Stone Garden of Nukain Mabuza as well as a copy of a book on the history of the Makhonjwa Mountains.
