Gemeenskapsverantwoordelikheid as sleutel tot volhoubare erfenisbewaring in Suid-Afrika: Potchefstroomse gevallestudies

Abstract

Because the South African government does not have the capacity to effectivelyconserve our cultural heritage in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act, itbecomes the responsibility of local communities to maintain their own preciouscultural heritage. In fact, the act recognises (and encourages) the role of civilsociety in cultural heritage conservation. In this article, two successful casestudies of community-led heritage conservation projects in Potchefstroom underthe leadership of Heritage Potchefstroom Erfenis are analysed. The first casestudy concerns the historic Piet Malan House, which dates from the nineteenthcentury and has architectural and historical heritage value. It was threatenedwith demolition by a planned high-density student housing project. Followinga heritage impact assessment report, which recommended the retention of thehouse and its declaration as a protected heritage resource, the developers agreedto amend the plans of the student apartment blocks. The Piet Malan House hasbeen retained and is currently used as administrative offices of the apartmentsand is also maintained. The second case study is the avenue with more than 700oak trees, which was planted in 1911. It was declared a National Monument in1977. In the late twentieth century, many trees began to get sick and died due towater shortages, insect pests and fungal diseases. A project to save the oak avenuefrom further deterioration was launched in 2017 and is producing positive results.Different role players in the community work together to replace the dead trees andmonitor the maintenance of the trees. Following the two case studies, conclusionsare drawn about which critical success factors apply to the success of conservationprojects. Strong leadership, clear objectives, effective communication, an expertteam of collaborators and cooperation with authorities within the applicable legalframework are identified as prerequisites for mobilizing local communities andbringing role players together in sustainable conservation management projects