This year, as South Africa commemorates Heritage Day, citizens must not be swayed by the empty rhetoric of government officials who have not honoured our past, as evidenced in the neglect of our monuments and heritage sites across the Gauteng province.
The crumbling heritage monuments in Gauteng tell a tale of neglect and lousy management. Heritage sites such as the Alexandra Heritage Centre, Walter Sisulu Square, and old Sharpeville Police Station are in derelict condition, highlighting the utter disregard the Gauteng Provincial Government has for honouring those whose sacrifices brought us to democracy.
With the Gauteng government, it is all rhetoric but no substance regarding respect for our fallen heroes and heroines. The OR Tambo Precinct in Ekurhuleni, valued at R54 million, is not correctly benefiting residents in its vicinity due to the shoddy workmanship reflected in its poor infrastructure.
Over R100 million has been wasted as the Women’s Living Heritage Monument, the Kagiso Memorial, and the Boipatong Monument stand as hollow shells of what was envisioned. Monuments are meant to be more than just brick-and-mortar structures; they are symbols of our resilience as people and a reflection of our aspirations for a better and brighter future.
The degradation of our historical monuments and heritage sites is symbolic of the decay in our country, whether in the economic arena or in the political and social realms. The residents of Gauteng face rising crime rates, increasing poverty and unemployment, and growing despair as their futures look bleak. Instead of being places that inspire and give us hope, our heritage monuments only instill a sense of depression in an already weary people.
Tourism is often touted as one of the crucial industries that could support job creation in this country, especially for a low-skilled population like ours. Tourism also offers easy entry for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMES) with strong links to local economies.
There are inherent competitive advantages that heritage and culture can offer a nation’s tourism sector, mainly because these cannot be replicated elsewhere. There is no other place in Alexandra or Soweto where icons such as Nelson Mandela have lived. Our past, both wonderful and painful, is unique.
Unfortunately, Gauteng and South Africa have not taken the opportunity to use our fantastic heritage as a launch pad for attracting cultural tourists, who would add greatly needed foreign direct investment to our province.
The lack of investment and care in our monuments means that communities cannot have something of value that not only contributes to their bread and butter requirements but also to the more intangible aspects of life, such as social cohesion. Indeed, many officials in the national government and the Gauteng Provincial Government are more attuned to sowing division or exploiting our past to avoid responsibility than building unity and prosperity.
American author John Henrik Clarke said, “A people’s relationship to their heritage is the same as the relationship of a child to its mother”. Few things are worse than disrespecting those who have brought us into this world, those who have laid down a path for us, and those who have bled for us to enjoy the fruits of democracy. The treatment of our heritage monument is an act that squanders our history and the lessons it can teach.
Our province deserves a government that does not use empty speeches and events to honour our past and heroes. Our people deserve a government that preserves our culture and heritage by ensuring that the memories of those who came before us do not fade. In 2024, the residents of Gauteng can install a government that will put great care into our heritage by ensuring that the sites meant to honour our heroes are given the proper resources and care.
