Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said no fixed date has been set for the declaration of additional national heritage sites at District Six.
McKenzie has also undertaken to explore available mechanisms to provide financial support to the District Six Museum.
Responding to recent parliamentary questions from ActionSA MP Dereleen James, McKenzie said eight sites within the District Six were formally gazetted on March 31, 2023.
These are the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Parish Centre and Convent, the Moravian Church, the Zeenatul-Islam Masjid, the Al Azhar Mosque, Trafalgar High School, Harold Cressy High School, and the Jewish Cemetery.
“The declaration of additional sites is dependent on the submission of nomination forms by the District Six Museum, which the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) has been awaiting since March 2023,” he said.
James said the District Six Museum was internationally recognised as one of the most important memorials to forced removals and apartheid-era dispossession in South Africa.
She also said it continued to operate without finalised National Heritage Site (NHS) status despite years of applications and advocacy efforts.
“What are the reasons for the failure to finalise NHS status for the District Six Museum precinct and broader District Six landscape? Which officials, departments, and/or entities are responsible for the specified delays and what specific steps has he taken to ensure that the process is concluded?” James asked.
McKenzie said District Six represented a complex landscape with multiple stakeholders, including the historical community and approximately 800 current landowners.
He said the South African Heritage Resources Agency has adopted a phased approach to formal protection, identifying specific sites of memory for declaration as National Heritage Sites.
“The delay in advancing to further phases of declaration is attributable to the outstanding submission of nomination forms by the District Six Museum, which has not yet returned the forms provided to it by SAHRA in March 2023.
“No failure on the part of SAHRA, the department, or any other official has been identified as a contributing factor.”
McKenzie said he intended to engage with SAHRA to re-engage the District Six Museum to facilitate their submission and to progress the second phase of declarations.
However, no fixed date has been set at this stage, he said.
“The timeline depends in the first instance on the receipt of the outstanding nomination forms from the District Six Museum, after which SAHRA must engage relevant stakeholders, including property owners, and conclude management agreements before further declarations may proceed.
“I will request SAHRA to provide a realistic indicative timeline once that process is initiated,” said McKenzie.
Asked about the financial support the department has provided to the District Six Museum in the past five financial years, McKenzie said the museum is constituted as a non-profit organisation (NPO) governed by a trust and did not receive an annual departmental subsidy.
He stated that the department transferred R4 million in 2021 to the museum through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme to support operations and programmes affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“No further direct financial transfers were made by the department in the 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, or 2025/26 financial years.”
McKenzie further said he did not consider the current level of financial support adequate for an institution of the District Six Museum’s historical and social significance.
“The museum’s NPO status precludes a standing annual subsidy under existing legislative and financial frameworks, which I regard as an unsatisfactory position given the museum’s national importance.
“The department will explore available mechanisms to provide more consistent support, including through the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and other grant-funding instruments.”
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za
