Cultural Affairs and Sport
With regard to the culture and heritage in the Western Cape:
(1) Whether there are any plans to build more museums in townships in the foreseeable future; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether there are any strategies in place to preserve the food history and the recording of traditional recipes of the people of the province; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether there are any plans to launch the oral history initiative in (a) Mitchells Plain and (b) Khayelitsha; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) whether there have been any audits done on the monitoring and evaluation of the use of the three official languages of the Western Cape in the last three years; if not, why not; if so, what have been the outcomes?
(1) The Department via its Museum Service currently supports 31 affiliated museums throughout the province. In terms of current legislation, the Department can affiliate three categories of museums, namely Provincial-, Province-aided- and Local Museums. Typically, museums are started by community members or community organisations and then apply to the Department for affiliation in terms of the Museums Ordinance. This approach is preferred to ensure that there is sufficient community buy-in to support and successfully sustain museums. The Museum Service provides guidance and advice to community members concerning prospective museums in this regard.
When applying for affiliation, museums should meet minimum criteria which include a building (owned or leased) and a relevant collection. Furthermore, the Museum Service has a strategic objective to transform the heritage landscape and therefore welcomes applications for affiliation. The Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum is a prominent example of a museum situated within a township which successfully applied for affiliation and which were declared a Province-aided Museum. Any museum interested in applying for affiliation can contact the Museum Service at the Department.
(2) The Museum Service facilitates the production of traveling and permanent exhibitions at affiliated museum. In many cases an oral history research process is included as part of the research methodology for the production of these exhibitions. Depending on the proclaimed theme of the affiliated museums, food histories including food farming, food production and food recipes are included within the research and exhibitions. Examples of this can be found at: Huguenot Memorial Museum (Wine and fruit), Wheat Industry Museum (Flour), Bartolomeu Dias Museum (Spices), Genadendal Museum (Tea and Flour), Paarl Museum (Traditional Cook books), Hout Bay Museum (Snoek Stories and Recipes) Cape Medical Museum (Traditional Medicine) and SA Fisheries Museum (Fishing industry). Furthermore, the Library Service Oral History Initiative also incorporate elements of food farming, food production and food histories within the oral history recordings. Examples include those recorded at Elim (Farming methods and food production) and Klein-Drakenstein (Vegetable and fruit production) .
In addition, the Museum Service previously produced a travelling exhibition on traditional recipes called: “Karoo Kitchen”. The Museum Service is currently looking at the possibility to create an educational programme in 2021/2022 based on this traveling exhibition for role out at affiliated museums around the province.
(3) (a)No (b) No
The Department is in the process of rolling out the Oral History Initiative to all municipalities across the Province. Each year, 4 new municipalities are identified to host the initiative. In June 2016 the City of Cape Town’s Oral History Initiative launch was rolled-out in Bonteheuwel. Municipalities may request the Department to further assist with the implementation of the project within the municipality.
(4) The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport has done a number of audits to monitor the implementation of the Western Cape Language Policy, which was to be implemented incrementally. The Western Cape Language Committee, an advisory body and public entity of the Department conducted a survey of WCG departments’ adherence to the Western Cape Language Policy in 2016. The survey posed pertinent questions that would provide answers as to whether the Western Cape Language Policy was being adhered to. Results of the 2016 survey showed that nine departments had language practitioners and four departments did not have any language practitioners on their staff complement. The survey also indicated that there were 26 language practitioners employed in WCG departments - 13 isiXhosa, ten Afrikaans and three English language practitioners.
Another survey was undertaken by the Department at the end of 2019. An analysis of the gathered data showed that less than half of all WCG departments have language units and a third had language practitioners equipped to provide language services in all official languages. For example, the Department of Public Works and Transport had one Afrikaans language practitioner on their staff complement, while the Department had to publish a large number of official notices in all three official languages.
This resulted in most departments forwarding translation and editing/proofreading requests for official documents as well as the provision of SA Sign language interpreters to the Language Services Unit at DCAS. At the time DCAS had two Afrikaans/English language practitioners. Two isiXhosa language practitioners were subsequently appointed in 2020. Due to the high level of language requests from WCG departments, shorter translations are done in-house and lengthier documents, such as APPs and Annual Reports as well as Sign Language interpreting requests from WCG are outsourced.
A follow up survey undertaken in March 2021 shows that the number of language practitioners employed in WCG departments had decreased from the total of 26 in 2016 to a total of 17 in March 2021.
WCG departments have spent an average of R700 000 per year on outsourced language services during the 2019/20 and the 2021/21 financial years – a total of R1,4 m over the two-year period.
DCAS provided 607 language support services to WCG departments in 2019/20 and 492 in 2020/21. This includes in-house and outsourced translations and editing of documents in the three official languages and Sign Language interpreting.
Results of the surveys showed that the biggest challenge for many WCG departments is the lack of or limited number of language practitioners on their staff complement. This results in the Western Cape Language Policy not being fully and progressively implemented in WCG departments as yet in spite of their best efforts to provide all communications in the three official languages.
