17 May 2006
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa came under scrutiny during
group discussions at the Heritage Consultative Conference held at the Nelson
Mandela Gateway to Robben Island on 13 May 2006.
The traditional representatives of the Khoi and San communities expressed
disappointment that the constitution does not protect their identity and
heritage. This becomes even more evident in government and private
administrative documents where the Khoi-San people are classified as
Coloureds.
They have called for the revival of the project to identify Khoi and San
heritage sites initiated by National Department of Arts, Culture, Science and
Technology five years ago so that the indigenous people are afforded an
opportunity to take ownership of their own heritage.
Delegates appealed to government to increase budget allocation to the
heritage sector so that its true value and contribution to the economy can be
realised. The critical shortage of skilled young heritage practitioners,
especially from disadvantaged communities was sharply raised as an impediment
to the transformation of the sector. In this regard, government was urged to
develop bursary schemes to encourage and financially assist prospective
students from designated groups.
The Conference was organised by the Western Cape Department of Cultural
Affairs and Sport in conjunction with the National Heritage Council to allow
heritage stakeholders and practitioners to make their inputs into a provincial
heritage plan.
In his keynote address to the conference earlier, Premier of the Western
Cape Province, Ebrahim Rasool, warned the delegates that the plan for
developing and preserving heritage should be relevant to the current realities
of society and avoid 'freezing in the past'. The CEO of the National Heritage
Council, Adv Sonwabile Mancotywa, appealed to the delegates to "assist the
province in searching for the uniqueness of the Western Cape heritage that
define its people and their culture". He also shared the heritage vision that
will unite the nation if consensus is found about "what is South African that
makes us South African" he said. The MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Whitey
Jacobs, took the challenges as a mandate for his department and said, "the
department will ensure that all suggestions raised by the practitioners and
communities will be given high priority going forward".
Enquiries:
Mandla Yeki
Spokesperson for Ministry
Tel: (021) 483 9804
Cell: 082 5533 477
Danny Goulkan
Marketing and Communications Manager
The National Heritage Council
Tel: (012) 348 1663
Cell: 072 952 2260
Issued by: Department of Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation, Western
Cape Provincial Government
17 May 2006
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za)
