Notice of the commencement of the review and amendment of the NATIONAL Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act No. 25 OF 1999)
This serves to inform members of the public as well as interest groups that the process of review and amendment of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999) (NHRA) has commenced.
The NHRA confirms that our heritage is unique and precious and that it cannot be renewed. Our heritage helps us to define our cultural identity and therefore lies at the heart of our spiritual well-being. It has the potential to affirm our diverse cultures, and in so doing shape our national character. Our heritage celebrates our achievements and contributes to redressing past inequities. It educates and deepens our understanding of society. It encourages us to empathise with the experience of others, thereby facilitating healing and material and symbolic restitution. It also promotes new and previously neglected research into our rich living heritage, such as oral traditions and expressions, rites and rituals, customs and local and indigenous knowledge systems.
The NHRA is about the conservation and promotion of this very precious heritage of ours. The main purpose of the NHRA is therefore to introduce an integrated and interactive system for the management and safeguarding of the national heritage resources; to promote good governance at all levels and empower civil society to nurture and conserve their heritage resources so that they may be bequeathed to future generations.
However, the NHRA was promulgated 25 years ago. This was a time when the first democratic dispensation was still in its infancy and finding its feet in terms of the new heritage landscape to be developed. As a result, many sections of the Act have since become outdated and problematic and several gaps have been identified.
Additionally, the cost implications of the implementation of the NHRA have never been determined. This means that the system of management of South Africa’s heritage has been developed and implemented without necessarily having access to the required resources, especially financial and human resources. Although the responsible authorities have done their best in this very difficult situation, there are some aspects of the NHRA that have been neglected and have never been properly addressed.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has therefore commenced with the review and amendment of the NHRA. A main priority during the amendment process will be consultation. All relevant stakeholders will be consulted during the consultation phase of the project. Members of the public as well as interest groups will therefore have an opportunity to comment and provide inputs on amendments to the NHRA. A follow-up Notice will be placed on this platform as soon as the consultation process starts
The National Heritage Resources Act is available on the websites of both the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture at https://www.dsac.gov.za/acts, or the South African Heritage Resources Agency at https://www.sahra.org.za/.
For further information and questions, please contact Rre Kgomotso Mokgethi at kgomotsomo@dsac.gov.za, or Ms Reinette Stander at reinettes@dsac.gov.za
