South African Heritage Bodies Revision Notes for Grade 11 NSC Matric Tourism

South African Heritage Bodies

Introduction to heritage bodies

South Africa's cultural and natural heritage is protected and managed by a system of official organisations working at different levels. National, provincial and local heritage bodies work together to ensure the preservation, protection and proper management of heritage resources throughout the country. These bodies play a vital role in safeguarding South Africa's rich cultural history for current and future generations.

Heritage bodies have the important responsibility of identifying valuable heritage sites and objects, keeping detailed records of them, and making decisions about how they should be protected. They also educate communities about the importance of preserving heritage and ensure that any changes to heritage sites are carefully considered and approved through proper procedures.

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Heritage protection operates through a coordinated system where different levels of government work together. This multi-level approach ensures that heritage resources receive appropriate attention based on their significance – whether local, provincial, or national – while maintaining consistent standards across the country.

South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA)

SAHRA is the heritage body operating at the national level in South Africa. As the primary national organisation, SAHRA coordinates the identification and management of what is called the national estate. This term refers to all heritage resources that have national significance and need to be managed carefully for the benefit of present communities and future generations. SAHRA establishes the standards and guidelines that other heritage bodies across the country follow.

The organisation carries out several important functions that can be grouped into three main categories:

Policy making

SAHRA has the authority to establish national principles, standards and policies for how heritage resources should be identified, recorded and managed across the entire national estate. This means they create the rules and guidelines that everyone working with heritage must follow. By setting these standards at national level, SAHRA ensures consistent and professional management of heritage resources throughout South Africa.

Identification, recording and managing the national estate

One of SAHRA's core responsibilities is to identify which heritage resources are nationally significant. Once identified, these resources are recorded in the national heritage register, which serves as a permanent record. SAHRA keeps these detailed records to ensure that information about important heritage sites is preserved and accessible.

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SAHRA's Coordination Role

SAHRA coordinates the work of provincial and local heritage authorities, including private agencies that may be involved in heritage management. This coordination role is essential because heritage work happens at many different levels, and SAHRA ensures that everyone works together effectively.

When needed, SAHRA provides an advisory role by offering professional expertise to both public and private agencies that are involved with heritage resources management. This expert advice helps ensure that heritage resources are treated properly and that decisions affecting them are well-informed.

Creating awareness

SAHRA actively promotes and encourages public understanding and enjoyment of the national estate. They want South Africans to appreciate and value their heritage, so they work to raise awareness through various programmes and initiatives.

The organisation encourages public interest and involvement in all aspects of heritage work – from identifying resources to assessing them, recording them and managing them properly. By involving communities, SAHRA ensures that heritage protection is not just the work of officials but something that all South Africans participate in.

SAHRA also promotes education and training in fields related to managing the national estate. By training heritage professionals and educating the public, SAHRA builds capacity for heritage protection across the country.

Provincial heritage agencies

While SAHRA works at national level, provincial heritage agencies manage heritage resources within individual provinces. Currently, four provinces have established their own provincial heritage agencies: Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. The National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) describes the functions, powers and duties that these provincial agencies have.

The main function of provincial heritage agencies is to ensure the protection, preservation and proper management of heritage resources belonging to the different cultures within their province. This means they focus on heritage that is particularly important at provincial level rather than national level.

Grading system and registers

SAHRA and provincial agencies work together through a grading system. When SAHRA grants a heritage resource Grade I status, this means it has national significance and gets listed in the national heritage register. Resources with Grade II status are considered provincially significant and are listed in the provincial heritage register instead.

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Understanding the Grading System

The grading system is fundamental to how heritage resources are managed in South Africa:

Grade I = National significance → National heritage register (managed by SAHRA)
Grade II = Provincial significance → Provincial heritage register (managed by provincial agencies)

This distinction determines which authority is responsible for managing each heritage resource.

In provinces where no heritage agencies have been established yet, the Department of Arts and Culture works together with SAHRA's provincial offices to coordinate the identification and management of heritage resources. This ensures that heritage protection continues even without a dedicated provincial agency.

Community awareness and education

Provincial heritage agencies have an important role in creating awareness and educating communities about protecting heritage resources at provincial level. They work through various institutions and agencies that are involved in community awareness programmes and heritage development initiatives. By connecting with communities directly, provincial agencies help people understand why their local heritage matters and how they can help protect it.

Special heritage permits and protection regulations

The National Heritage Resources Act regulates a list of specific heritage objects that receive special protection. These regulations exist to prevent uninformed decisions about removing or demolishing important heritage objects. Before any changes can be made to protected heritage, authorities must carefully determine whether those changes will have a negative impact on the heritage object. This system of permits and regulations covers several different categories of heritage.

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The Permit Requirement

All changes to protected heritage resources require permits from the relevant heritage authority. This requirement ensures that potentially significant heritage is not destroyed or damaged without proper consideration and expert assessment.

Structures older than 60 years

Many old buildings and structures in South Africa have historical and cultural value. To protect these, special rules apply to structures that are more than 60 years old. If someone wants to demolish or alter such a structure, they must first get a permit from the relevant heritage resources authority. This requirement ensures that potentially significant buildings are not destroyed without proper consideration.

When a heritage resources authority wants to make changes to a heritage site, they must follow a transparent public process. They place a notice in the Government Gazette explaining their plans for the site. This notice must appear three months before the planned work, giving the public time to review the plans. Members of the public can accept or reject these plans, and those who want to object have at least 60 days to do so. This public consultation process ensures that heritage decisions are not made in secret and that communities have a say in what happens to their heritage.

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Public Consultation Process

The public consultation process demonstrates democratic principles in heritage management:

Notice published in Government Gazette
Three-month waiting period before work begins
Minimum 60-day objection period for the public
Community input considered before final decisions

This process ensures transparency and gives communities meaningful participation in heritage decisions.

Archaeological and palaeontological sites

Archaeological sites contain evidence of past human activity, while palaeontological sites contain fossils and evidence of ancient life forms. Both types of sites are extremely valuable for understanding South Africa's past. Individuals or communities that have a claim to archaeological or palaeontological sites must register these sites in heritage registers. This registration creates an official record of the site's existence and importance.

If anybody wants to change anything at one of these sites, they need to obtain a permit first. SAHRA must issue this permit before any development can take place at archaeological or palaeontological sites. This strict control protects these irreplaceable sites from damage or destruction.

Meteorites

Meteorite heritage sites are craters formed by pieces of rock that fell to Earth from space. These sites are scientifically valuable and attract both educational and nature tourists. The Tswaing Crater north of Pretoria is a well-known example of a meteorite heritage site in South Africa.

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Example: Tswaing Crater

The Tswaing Crater demonstrates how meteorite heritage sites combine scientific value with educational opportunities. The site features:

Research facilities for studying impact craters
Walking trails for visitors
Picnic sites for recreational use
Educational centres explaining the crater's formation and significance

Any development near this protected site requires SAHRA approval to prevent damage to this unique geological feature.

These sites often have research value, and walking trails, picnic sites and educational centres are frequently developed at meteorite sites to help visitors learn about them. Any development in the area of a meteorite site requires a permit from SAHRA to ensure the site is not damaged.

Shipwrecks

Shipwrecks in the oceans around South Africa are heritage resources of national cultural and historical significance. These underwater sites provide valuable historical information about many aspects of maritime history. Wrecks reveal information about:

The daily lives of crew members and passengers
The cargo ships carried
The navigation instruments used on board
The crockery, tools, clothing, foods and medicines used aboard the ship

The NHRA protects shipwrecks by law and provides blanket protection for wrecks and materials from wrecks that are older than 60 years. This means all old wrecks are automatically protected without needing individual registration. SAHRA makes sure that records of any underwater recovery operations are properly kept. When artefacts are recovered from shipwrecks, they must be catalogued, conserved and exhibited in museums – such as the museum in Bredasdorp that displays shipwreck artefacts.

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Maritime Heritage on the Wild Coast

The Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape is one example of an area with evidence of numerous shipwrecks. This region's dangerous coastline has claimed many vessels over the centuries, creating a rich underwater heritage that tells stories of maritime history, trade routes, and human tragedy.

Burial grounds and graves

Burial grounds and graves receive protection under the NHRA because they hold deep cultural and historical significance for communities. SAHRA is responsible for the identification, preservation and protection of burial grounds and graves that have historical and cultural importance.

Protected burial grounds and graves include several categories:

Graves of soldiers and civilians who died inside or outside South Africa due to wars
Graves of freedom fighters who died because of political struggle
Graves of individuals who provided outstanding service to their communities, such as kings or political leaders

If someone wants to dig up, move, or rebury bodies in protected graves, they must get a permit from SAHRA. However, SAHRA will only issue such a permit after consulting with family members or communities concerned with these graves. This consultation requirement shows respect for the cultural and emotional significance of burial sites.

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Examples: Protected Burial Sites

Isandlwana Battlefield (KwaZulu-Natal) The burial grounds at Isandlwana represent an important example of protected graves from a historical conflict. This Anglo-Zulu War battlefield contains graves of soldiers from both sides, making it a significant heritage site that commemorates a pivotal moment in South African history.

Hector Peterson Memorial (Soweto) An example of an individual grave of historical significance is the Hector Peterson Memorial in Soweto, which commemorates a young person killed during the 1976 Soweto Uprising. This memorial serves as a powerful reminder of the struggle against apartheid and the sacrifice of young activists.

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Key Points to Remember:

SAHRA is the national heritage body that coordinates heritage management across South Africa and maintains the national heritage register for Grade I (nationally significant) resources.
Provincial heritage agencies manage heritage at provincial level in Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng, maintaining registers for Grade II (provincially significant) resources.
Heritage bodies have three main functions: making policy and standards, identifying and managing heritage resources, and creating public awareness through education and community involvement.
Special permits are required before making changes to protected heritage, including:
- Structures over 60 years old
- Archaeological sites
- Palaeontological sites
- Meteorite sites
- Shipwrecks
- Burial grounds
The permit system includes public consultation processes (such as Government Gazette notices with 60 days for objections) that give communities time to review and respond to proposed changes to heritage sites.
Remember the grading system: Grade I = national significance (national register), Grade II = provincial significance (provincial register).
The 60-year rule applies to both old structures and shipwrecks, providing automatic protection for heritage resources older than this threshold.
Key examples of protected sites: Tswaing Crater, Isandlwana, Wild Coast shipwrecks, Hector Peterson Memorial, Bredasdorp Museum.

South African Heritage Bodies (Grade 11 NSC Matric Tourism): Revision Notes