Heritage Day celebrations moved from KZN to Western Cape, but why?

The Western Cape Government is concerned about the last minute and seemingly chaotic way the national Heritage Day celebration has been moved from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to the Western Cape.

According to the Western Cape MEC of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie, Heritage Day belongs to all South Africans. He emphasised that it should never become a political football.

Abrupt change of plans

“It is one of our country’s most important national days and should be properly and professionally planned,” Mackenzie said.

He added that the Western Cape government only received correspondence from the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie on Saturday, informing them that the national celebration would be moved from KZN to George in the Western Cape.

KZN had initially been announced as the host province and preparations were already underway.

But why?

“Why, just days before Heritage Day, was this prestigious event moved?

“What happened to the preparations and expenditure already incurred?

“And why were the affected provincial and local governments not properly consulted before such a significant decision was taken?” the MEC asked.

‘This is not how it should be run’

Mackenzie asserted that this is not how a national event should be run.

“A decision like this, taken days before the event and without consultation, is not planning; it is improvisation at the taxpayer’s expense.

“The people of KwaZulu-Natal were promised Heritage Day.

“The people of George were given no warning.”

Mackenzie explained that the country has been given no explanation.

“Heritage Day belongs to every South African, and these decisions cannot be made behind closed doors.”

Short notice

Mackenzie said that the Western Cape welcomes major events, adding that the province is proud to host visitors from across South Africa and the world.

“But welcoming an event does not mean we should remain silent when established principles of good governance, planning and intergovernmental coordination appear not to have been followed.”

He explained that the George Municipality was placed in an extremely difficult position, with national officials arriving at short notice, to prepare for an event that had not formed part of the municipality’s programme.

Poor planning

He emphasised that a major national event requires coordination between all affected parties.

“Venues, municipal services, security, infrastructure and personnel are planned well in advance.

“Government cannot simply descend on a municipality days before a major national event and expect everything to fall into place.”

‘Appropriate procedures must be followed’

George’s Mayor Browen Johnson said that the municipality supports cultural, sporting, heritage and community events within the municipal area.

“We are proud of George’s rich cultural heritage, and we welcome the opportunity to showcase it to South Africa. However, our support for an event does not remove the need for the appropriate procedures to be followed,” Johnson reiterated.

Highlighting concerns around the process that led to the event being moved, Johnson said that major events need to comply with the legislative, regulatory and municipal requirements.

“Our concern is therefore not about hosting Heritage Day. Our concern is about the process that brought us here.”

Contradictions

Mackenzie said that the confusion has been compounded by contradictory public communication from the national government.

He noted that the Presidency has subsequently deleted social-media posts containing some of this information.

“Rather than resolving the matter, the removal of official communication adds to the need for a clear, authoritative statement confirming exactly where the national celebration will take place and explaining how this confusion arose.”

The financial burden

Mackenzie said that there is also the question of public expenditure.

“If money had already been committed to preparations in KwaZulu-Natal, taxpayers deserve to know what those commitments were, what costs may now be duplicated because of relocating the event and who will carry those additional costs.”

He noted that the Western Cape government had already planned its own Heritage Month and Heritage Day activities.

Importance of proper consultation

Mackenzie said that proper consultation could have allowed national government to work with existing programmes rather than creating unnecessary disruption and additional expenditure.

“But one of the biggest unanswered questions remains: why was National Heritage Day removed from KwaZulu-Natal at such short notice?”