As Heritage Month puts the spotlight on the Eastern Cape’s rich history, the state of heritage sites in the province’s two metros has come under scrutiny, with vandalism, poor maintenance and limited community involvement threatening some of the places meant to preserve that history.
In the Buffalo City Metro, a Dispatch visit to several historic sites found some deserted and neglected, while in Nelson Mandela Bay, cultural activists warned that important heritage and natural spaces could not survive on history alone.
In KuGompo City, the Duncan Village Massacre site was littered with rubbish, broken beer bottles and overgrown grass, while the “warrior” statue erected in Duncan Village in 2008 remains missing after it was stolen last year.
There was no sign of visitors during the visit, despite people moving through the area in traditional clothing and choosing other, cleaner venues for family gatherings.
Just metres away, children played in a playground next to the memorial site, apparently unaware of the history attached to the space.
A Duncan Village resident said he was disappointed both by the vandalism and the failure to restore the site.
“We do not know how the statue was removed, it happened at night,” the 67-year-old man said.
“There is no signage or any indication of what this site is about. Children can even get hurt here, some even climb on the base of where the statue stood.”
This was in contrast to Heroes Park on the beachfront, where the memorial had been cleaned and fenced off after years of being used for drinking and parties.
Two years ago, BCM resorted to fencing several sites including Heroes Park, honouring the country’s freedom fighters and SA’s diverse cultural heritage, which along with the German Settlers Memorial and the Multicultural Man, is located on the Esplanade. The City Hall, the Bellstone, an ancient ringing stone near Breidbach, and other sites have also been fenced off to keep vandals and metal thieves out.
A symbol of peace, the Multicultural Man, is still missing bronze doves which were stolen by vandals years ago. It is part of a series of works dotted across the globe including in Toronto, Canada; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Changchun, China; San Pedro in Los Angeles; and KuGompo City.
Heritage advocates said even those sites in better condition needed sustained promotion to attract visitors and ensure their histories remained relevant.
Sinovuyo Gaika, of the Eco Tourism Development Group, said several BCM heritage sites were being overlooked despite their importance to the city’s identity.
“They are not well maintained and they are not well visited. They are not well promoted for the critical role they play in the identity of KuGompo City,” Gaika said.
He said Heroes Park was among the sites in better condition, though more attention was needed along the beachfront.
Other sites, including the Mdantsane Massacre site, Duncan Village and the Bhisho Stadium, needed greater attention, he said.
Gaika said the Duncan Village Museum remained an important heritage asset but had little activity and was not well known.
Mzantsi on Tour founder and CEO Cebo Mzanywa said preserving heritage sites was not only about remembering historic events and people, but also about creating economic opportunities.
He said sites such as the Ann Bryant Museum, Heroes Park, Sisa Dukashe Stadium, the Gompo Arts Centre, Steve Biko Museum continued to attract people and were relatively well maintained.
But he identified the Egerton Memorial massacre site, Mgxaji Boxing Club Museum, Bhisho Stadium and Duncan Village Museum among those requiring greater attention.
Lerona Rebatho Memorial Trust co-founder Nomzamo Nkatshu described the state of some sites as appalling.
“The historic sites are in disrepair, to be honest, and children are always surprised when they find out that these places are attached to our history and heritage,” she said.
“For example, Cecilia Makiwane’s statue is one of the important things children overlook, but there are so many lessons there.”
Nkatshu said poor knowledge of the history attached to the sites had made it easier for them to be vandalised.
“The lack of knowledge is one of the reasons it has become easy for people to destroy these structures, and the only time the government cleans up is when there is an event,” she said.
The provincial sport, arts and culture department said responsibility for heritage sites depended on their ownership and mandate.
Spokesperson Andile Nduna said municipalities generally had responsibility for heritage resources on municipal property, while provincial and national authorities were responsible for resources falling under their respective mandates.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, the picture is also mixed.
The Mendi Art Centre in New Brighton remains a functioning cultural space, with murals, paintings and information telling the story of the Emlotheni Memorial, the Mendi Bottle Store and Red Location.
Young people were using the grounds during a visit by the Dispatch’s sister publication, The Herald, but community activist and tour guide Mike Pantsi said the centre needed a formal structure to ensure the surrounding community benefited from it.
“The community has a role to play in terms of cleaning that precinct and working against vandalism,” Pantsi said.
He said cultural hubs were essential to both tourism and local communities.
But heritage in Nelson Mandela Bay extends beyond buildings and memorials.
Captain Edmund Wayne Stuurman, senior Khoi leader of the House of Klaas and Dawid Stuurman, said Gqeberha’s rivers, dams, sea and wildlife were also part of its heritage.
He highlighted Bethelsdorp’s Van der Kemp’s Kloof Nature Reserve, which is linked to more than 200 years of history and remains significant.
Stuurman said the reserve reflected a history of Bantu and Khoi communities living alongside one another and building social cohesion through intermarriage.
Families were baptised in rivers and water was used for cleansing and spiritual renewal, he said.
The sea, too, was central to indigenous life, providing food, leisure and trade.
Mpumzi Mshweshwe,Siphosethu Ngcangisa,Simtembile Mgidi
www.dailydispatch.co.za
