The destruction of the decade-old pine plantations in Middelburg is not the first time that local authorities have trampled on the town’s treasures.
Despite efforts by the Middelburg Heritage Association to stop it, a historic old house in OR Tambo Street was still demolished.

The absolute arrogance and lack of insight in preserving such valuable property are outlined in a document that Petronel Fourie from the Heritage Association shared with the Middelburg Observer.
Even though the house was illegally demolished, there was no action against the developer.

In May 2019, neighbours saw the house being demolished – they thought it must be renovations. It soon became evident that the house was being completely demolished, and the situation was brought to the attention of the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (STLM).

An infringement notice for the unlawful demolition of a heritage building without the permission of the municipality of the Mpumalanga Heritage Resources Agency (MHRA) was issued to the owner, George Masanabo, by Steve Tshwete Municipality on May 14, 2019.

Municipal Manager Bheki Khenisa said that this matter will be litigated if Masanabo doesn’t adhere to the infringement notice served. He also told the Middelburg Observer, who reported on the case on May 31, 2019, that workers carried on with the demolition, despite the fact that he was served with an infringement notice.

In July, a permit, dated July 18, 2019, was displayed on the property, granting the public 14 days to appeal against the permit.
The Middelburg Heritage Committee submitted its appeal to B. T. Moduka, cultural heritage officer of MHRA, who signed the displayed permit, on July 31, 2019.

The appeal hearing with Moduka and Middelburg Heritage took place in Middelburg on August 15, 2019. During the meeting, Middelburg Heritage tabled the evidence they had, including historical information about the previous owners and photos of the house shortly after the demolition started.

Characteristics of the Victorian building style included pressed ceilings, ornamental chimneys, a high roof with a slope, large doorways and broader hallways, sash windows and bay windows, embossed wallpaper, an L-shaped veranda with cigar-shaped pillars, timber frames, pattern brickwork, and parquet flooring.
The first owner that could be determined according to the title deed was Stephanus Petrus Erasmus Trichard (title deed no 952/1894). He was the son of Carolus Trichard, one of the founding fathers of Middelburg and the grandson of renowned Voortrekker leader Louis Trichard.

Middelburg Heritage sent this evidence to the MHRA on August 20, 2019, as well as an assessment done in August by a historical architecture expert, Mauritz Naudé. He visited the site and found that the dwelling scores high on most of the criteria prescribed by the Act. Naudé highlighted Section 38 of the National Heritage Resources Act that a heritage impact assessment should have been done by an independent heritage specialist and paid for by the developer before demolition started.

At first, Moduka indicated on August 27, 2019, that the submitted evidence and statement of significance weren’t correct and offered to send an example of how it should be done. But without ever doing so, he dismissed the appeal from Middelburg Heritage on October 16, 2019, stating that, with the information at his disposal, “The resource in portion 1 of ERF 335 does not exhibit any outstanding provincial or national value of significance to be protected and preserved… As such, the MHRA upholds its decision to grant a section 34 permit for the demolition of a structure…”.

Middelburg Heritage had the option to appeal this decision to Mpumalanga’s MEC of Culture, Sport and Recreation, Hon. Ntshalintshali, and did so on October 21, 2019, asking for advice regarding the process that must be followed to comply with any requirements that the MEC may have in this regard, as well as regarding the required format of the information to be submitted. However, none of these guidelines, or even an acknowledgement receipt of the appeal, was received – despite follow-up emails on October 30, 2019, November 6, 2019, November 19, 2019, December 3, 2019, February 4, 2020 and March 14, 2020.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2020, Sanjay Singh from the office of the MEC for Culture, Sport and Recreation, telephoned Fourie, at that stage Chair of Middelburg Heritage, to schedule a Zoom meeting regarding the appeal, during which the appeal case could be discussed in good faith, on his request.

The meeting took place on July 30, 2020, from the MEC’s office, with Singh, Moduka and Josias Motsoeneng (chief of staff) present. All parties stated their cases, with Middelburg Heritage asking for a copy of the heritage assessment Moduka did on site, as well as a timeline of the administrative steps that were taken by the MHRA in this case.
This was never received, and on August 3, 2020, Motsoeneng informed Middelburg Heritage on behalf of the MEC that the appeal was dismissed.

Middelburg Heritage responded on August 4, questioning the grounds on which the appeal was dismissed, such as that the MHRA had reported to have assessed the structure, but Middelburg Heritage never received that requested copy of such an assessment, based on the physical visit to the site; that “In a response to the Middelburg Heritage Committee, the authority also highlighted that a statement of significance in terms of the above criteria, was to be put together and submitted to the authority including any other relevant documentation to the site that deliver its heritage significance.

“This requirement was also not fulfilled, as indicated in the response by the authority to yourselves, nor has it been furnished to the appeal you have addressed to the MEC,” although Middelburg Heritage repeatedly asked for an example of a correct statement of significance, but they never received this example.
Middelburg Heritage never received a response to the queries raised on August 4, 2020, and on August 7, 2020, total demolition of the house in Middelburg started.

Now it’s 2025.
What’s next?