National Monuments Council (South Africa and Namibia)

Last updated

National Monuments Council
AbbreviationNMC
Established1969
Dissolved2000
Legal statusDefunct
Region served
South Africa and Namibia

The National Monuments Council (NMC) was the national heritage conservation authority of South Africa, and therefore also of Namibia, during the major part of the apartheid era. It was the successor body to the Historical Monuments Commission and became known principally for its declaration of several thousand national monuments. [1] [2] It came into being through the promulgation of the National Monuments Act of 1969 and ceased to exist on 31 March 2000 when it was replaced by SAHRA and the provincial heritage resources authorities established in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act of 1999. [3] [4]

Contents

History

The National Monuments Council was the successor to the Historical Monuments Commission which had been in existence since 1923 and upon its creation the 'historical monuments' declared by the Commission became known as 'national monuments'. [5] [6] Like its predecessor it was a statutory body, semi-independent of government and presided over by a council appointed by the Minister responsible for culture. It had its head office in Cape Town rather than the national capital Pretoria. This reflected its preoccupation with the heritage of the early colonial (Dutch) period, the area around Cape Town being the most densely colonised during that time and hence the area in which most remnants of Dutch colonialism in South Africa are located. This is borne out by the fact that around half of the national monuments declared by the NMC were located in what is now the Western Cape Province. [7]

The Apartheid Era

Most of the period of existence the NMC fell within the apartheid era. During this period the organisation was governed by a Council made up exclusively of white South Africans and had a professional staff of similar composition. However, from not long after PW Botha's introduction of the Tricameral Parliament in 1984 the membership of the Council included one representative from each of the Coloured and Indian communities. During the de Klerk era (1989–1994) the organisation began to shift focus and declared a number of sites important to the history of the African community, including those associated with anti-apartheid movements, commencing with the declaration of the Sol Plaatje House in Kimberley in 1992. [8]

Post-Apartheid

From 1994, under the post-Apartheid government, the make-up and focus of the organisation began to change to reflect the changes in South African society. During this period the composition of the council and professional staff came to reflect the demographics of the country and a concerted effort was made to declare sites that reflected a broader national heritage. At the end of March 2000 the National Monuments Council was replaced by the South African Heritage Resources Agency, SAHRA, and over the following years the establishment of provincial heritage resources authorities saw the shift of the majority of its functions to provincial level. In terms of Section 58 of the National Heritage Resources Act national monuments became the responsibility of provincial heritage resources authorities and are now known as provincial heritage sites. A new category of national heritage site was created and is the responsibility of SAHRA.

Independence of Namibia

In 1990, when the territory of South West Africa became Namibia, the National Monuments Act remained in force and a National Monuments Council was established for the newly independent country. This organisation continued to operate until the promulgation of the Namibian Heritage Act of 2004 in terms of which the National Heritage Council was established. [9]

Legacy

The most noticeable legacy of the National Monuments Council is the bronze badge which still adorns most provincial heritage sites in South Africa and heritage places in Namibia. The term 'national monument' is still used by most South Africans and Namibians to refer to anything protected in terms of heritage legislation.

Badge used on former national monuments Gedenkplaket, Nasionale Gedenkwaardigheid.jpg
Badge used on former national monuments

More fundamental inheritances of present heritage resources authorities are:

The logo of the National Monuments Council was almost the same as that used by its predecessor, the Historical Monuments Commission. It depicts the entrance gate of the Cape Town Castle (the first historical monument to be declared by the commission) [10] surrounded by a wreath of King Proteas (South Africa's national flower) and capped with the national coat of arms that was used between 1910 and 2000. The only change from the Historical Monuments Commission period is the inclusion of a padrão in the centre of the castle gateway, a symbol of the Portuguese 'discovery' of Africa and apparently symbolic of the inclusion of South West Africa (now Namibia) within the area of jurisdiction of the organisation.

Offices

The Head Office of the National Monuments Council was in Cape Town and for most of its existence was the only base from which the organisation operated. From the mid-1980s 'regional offices' were established. The first was in Pretoria to service the then Transvaal province and thereafter in the other two provinces of the time, the Orange Free State (Bloemfontein) and Natal (initially Durban, but later Pietermaritzburg) provinces. The Cape Province came to be served by regional offices in Cape Town (Western Cape), Kimberley (Northern Cape) and Grahamstown (Eastern Cape). An office was also established in Windhoek, the capital of the South African governed territory of South West Africa. Following the establishment of nine provinces in 1994 the boundaries of the regions served were brought into line with those of provinces and over the next few years what were now called 'provincial offices' were established in those provinces that did not yet have an office. With the coming into effect of the National Heritage Resources Act in 1999, the records and in some cases staff of these offices were taken over by provincial heritage resources authorities.

Funding

The National Monuments Council received the bulk of its funds as a transfer payment from the department of the Minister responsible for culture. For most of its history this was the Department of National Education, but after 1994 the Department of Arts, Culture Science and Technology. The organisation also administered a number of trust funds established for the care of particular sites or types of heritage and derived income from properties which it owned, most notably Dal Josaphat near Paarl in the Western Cape.

Successor organisations

The following organisations are successors to the National Monuments Council:

In Namibia the National Heritage Council is the successor in all respects whereas in South Africa the National Heritage Resources Act, specifically, but not exclusively Sections11-13, 23–26 and 58 thereof, establish how responsibilities are divided between the South African Heritage Resources Agency and provincial heritage resources authorities. [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Trachyandra</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae

Trachyandra is a genus of plant in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae, first described as a genus in 1843. It is native to eastern and southern Africa, as well as to Yemen and Madagascar. Many of the species are endemic to South Africa.

  1. Trachyandra acocksiiOberm. - Cape Province in South Africa
  2. Trachyandra adamsonii(Compton) Oberm. - Cape Province, Namibia
  3. Trachyandra affinisKunth - Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
  4. Trachyandra arenicolaJ.C.Manning & Goldblatt - Cape Province
  5. Trachyandra aridimontanaJ.C.Manning - Cape Province
  6. Trachyandra arvensis(Schinz) Oberm. - Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia
  7. Trachyandra asperataKunth - South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini
  8. Trachyandra brachypoda(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  9. Trachyandra bulbinifolia(Dinter) Oberm. - Cape Province, Namibia
  10. Trachyandra burkei(Baker) Oberm. - Botswana, Limpopo, Free State, Cape Province
  11. Trachyandra capillata(Poelln.) Oberm. - KwaZulu-Natal
  12. Trachyandra chlamydophylla(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  13. Trachyandra ciliata(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  14. Trachyandra dissectaOberm. - Cape Province
  15. Trachyandra divaricata(Jacq.) Kunth - Cape Province; naturalized in Australia
  16. Trachyandra ensifolia (Sölch) Roessler - Namibia
  17. Trachyandra erythrorrhiza(Conrath) Oberm. - Gauteng
  18. Trachyandra esterhuysenaeOberm. - Cape Province
  19. Trachyandra falcata(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  20. Trachyandra filiformis(Aiton) Oberm. - Cape Province
  21. Trachyandra flexifolia(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province
  22. Trachyandra gerrardii(Baker) Oberm. - Eswatini, South Africa
  23. Trachyandra giffenii(F.M.Leight.) Oberm. - Cape Province
  24. Trachyandra glandulosa(Dinter) Oberm. - Namibia
  25. Trachyandra gracilentaOberm. - Cape Province
  26. Trachyandra hantamensisBoatwr. & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
  27. Trachyandra hirsuta(Thunb.) Kunth - Cape Province
  28. Trachyandra hirsutiflora(Adamson) Oberm. - Cape Province
  29. Trachyandra hispida(L.) Kunth - Cape Province
  30. Trachyandra involucrata(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  31. Trachyandra jacquiniana(Schult. & Schult.f.) Oberm. - Cape Province
  32. Trachyandra kamiesbergensisBoatwr. & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
  33. Trachyandra karrooicaOberm. - Cape Province, Namibia
  34. Trachyandra lanata(Dinter) Oberm. - Namibia
  35. Trachyandra laxa(N.E.Br.) Oberm. - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana
  36. Trachyandra malosana(Baker) Oberm. - Malawi to Zimbabwe
  37. Trachyandra mandrarensis(H.Perrier) Marais & Reilly - Madagascar
  38. Trachyandra margaretaeOberm. - Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
  39. Trachyandra montanaJ.C.Manning & Goldblatt - Cape Province
  40. Trachyandra muricata(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  41. Trachyandra oligotricha(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  42. Trachyandra paniculataOberm. - Cape Province
  43. Trachyandra patensOberm. - Cape Province
  44. Trachyandra peculiaris(Dinter) Oberm. - Namibia
  45. Trachyandra proliferaP.L.Perry - Cape Province
  46. Trachyandra pyrenicarpa(Welw. ex Baker) Oberm. Huíla Province in Angola
  47. Trachyandra revoluta(L.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  48. Trachyandra sabulosa(Adamson) Oberm. - Cape Province
  49. Trachyandra saltii(Baker) Oberm. - eastern + southern Africa from Ethiopia to Cape Province; Yemen
  50. Trachyandra sanguinorhizaBoatwr. & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
  51. Trachyandra scabra(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province
  52. Trachyandra smallianaHilliard & B.L.Burtt - Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
  53. Trachyandra tabularis(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  54. Trachyandra thyrsoidea(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  55. Trachyandra tortilis(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  56. Trachyandra triquetraThulin - Somalia
  57. Trachyandra zebrina(Schltr. ex Poelln.) Oberm. - Cape Province
<span class="mw-page-title-main">National heritage sites of South Africa</span>

Section 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) of South Africa provides for places of historic or cultural importance to be designated national heritage sites. This came into effect with the introduction of the Act on 1 April 2000, when all former national monuments declared by the former National Monuments Council and its predecessors became provincial heritage sites as provided for in Section 58 of the Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Heritage Resources Agency</span> Heritage agency of South Africa

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) is the national administrative body responsible for the protection of South Africa's cultural heritage. It was established through the National Heritage Resources Act, number 25 of 1999 and together with provincial heritage resources authorities is one of the bodies that replaced the National Monuments Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage objects (South Africa)</span>

Heritage objects in South Africa are objects or collections formally declared as such by the South African Heritage Resource Agency in order to control their export. Declaration does not restrict the sale or ownership of the objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provincial heritage site (South Africa)</span>

Provincial heritage sites in South Africa are places that are of historic or cultural importance within the context of the province concerned and which are for this reason declared in terms of Section 28 of the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) or legislation of the applicable province. The designation was a new one that came into effect with the introduction of the Act on 1 April 2000 when all former national monuments declared by the former National Monuments Council and its predecessors became provincial heritage sites as provided for in Section 58 of the Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SANRAL</span>

The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd or SANRAL is a South African parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of South Africa's proclaimed National Road network which includes many National ("N") and some Provincial and Regional ("R") route segments.

Water Boards play a key role in the South African water sector. They operate dams, bulk water supply infrastructure, some retail infrastructure and some wastewater systems. Some also provide technical assistance to municipalities. Through their role in the operation of dams they also play an important role in water resources management. The Water Boards report to the Department of Water Affairs (DWA). There are 13 Water Boards in South Africa, together indirectly serving more than 24 million people in 90 municipalities in 2005, or about half the population of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Western Cape</span> Provincial heritage resources authority of South Africa

Heritage Western Cape (HWC) is a provincial heritage resources authority established by the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport of the government of the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is a public entity set up under the terms of the National Heritage Resources Act. It is mandated to care for that part of South Africa's national estate that is of provincial and local significance in the Western Cape. It may delegate responsibility for heritage resources of local significance to competent municipal governments.

Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali, commonly known as 'Amafa', is a provincial heritage resources authority in terms of South Africa's National Heritage Resources Act. It was established in 1997 in terms of the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act of that year and is an agency of the Office of the Premier of the government of the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. It is also a 'public entity' under the terms of the Public Finance Management Act. It is mandated to care for that part of South Africa's national estate that is of provincial and local significance in KwaZulu-Natal.

A provincial heritage resources authority (PHRA) is a government agency established at provincial level in South Africa and is responsible for the management of immovable heritage. In some instances, they are also responsible for moveable heritage, interpretation centres and museums.

The Northern Cape Heritage Resources Authority, previously called Ngwao Boswa jwa Kapa Bokone, and commonly known as 'Boswa', is a provincial heritage resources authority established in 2003 by the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, and reconstituted in terms of the Northern Cape Heritage Resources Authority Act, 2013. It is an institution set up under the terms of the National Heritage Resources Act. It is mandated to care for that part of South Africa's national estate that is of provincial and local significance in the Northern Cape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical Monuments Commission</span> Former government agency of South Africa

The Historical Monuments Commission (HMC) was the national heritage conservation authority of South Africa from 1923 to 1969. The HMC was the first such body to be established in South Africa and was the predecessor of the National Monuments Council and therefore also of SAHRA and South Africa's provincial heritage resources authorities. From 1934 onwards the Commission became known principally for its declaration of several hundred historical monuments, later known as 'national monuments' and today as provincial heritage sites.

The 2019–20 CSA Provincial T20 Cup was a domestic Twenty cricket tournament that took place in South Africa in September 2019, as a curtain-raiser to the 2019–20 South African domestic season. It was played between the thirteen South African provincial teams, along with Limpopo and Mpumalanga. This was the sixth edition of the CSA Provincial T20 Cup, which was last played in the 2015–16 season. With only domestic teams from South Africa taking part, the tournament returned in place of the Africa T20 Cup, which had been held since 2015.

The 2020–21 CSA 3-Day Provincial Cup was a first-class cricket competition that took place in South Africa during February and March 2021. Easterns and KwaZulu-Natal were the defending champions, after the title was shared due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Provincial Executive Committees (PECs) of the African National Congress (ANC) are the chief executive organs of the party's nine provincial branches. Comprising the so-called “Top Five” provincial officials and up to 30 additional elected members, each is structured similarly to the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) and is elected every four years at party provincial conferences.

References

  1. ↑ Section 19, National Monuments Act, Act 28 of 1969
  2. ↑ List of heritage sites in South Africa
  3. ↑ National Monuments Act, Act 28 of 1969 as amended to 1979
  4. ↑ National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999, Government Notice 506, Republic of South Africa Government Gazette, Vol. 406, No 19974, Cape Town, 28 April 1999
  5. ↑ Natural and Historical Monuments, Relics and Antiques Act, Act 5 of 1923
  6. ↑ Section 20(2), National Monuments Act, Act 28 of 1969
  7. ↑ Compare: List of heritage sites in South Africa with List of heritage sites in Western Cape
  8. ↑ Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 14048, Pretoria: 19 June 1992
  9. ↑ Government of Namibia (29 December 2004). "Government Notice No. 287. Promulgation of National Heritage Act, 2004 (Act No. 27 of 2004)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. No. 3361. Windhoek: Legal Assistance Centre.
  10. ↑ p.2, Oberholster JJ, The Historical Monuments of South Africa, Cape Town: The Rembrandt van Rijn Foundation, 1972
  11. ↑ National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999, Government Notice 506, Republic of South Africa Government Gazette, Vol. 406, No 19974, Cape Town, 28 April 1999
  12. ↑ Section 68, National Heritage Act , Government Notice 287, Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia , No. 3361, Windhoek: 29 December 2004

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.