Cultural Affairs and Sport

1. There are 11 formally identified and protected Provincial Heritage Sites in Mossel Bay. Please see the table below for their location and their significance.

These are mostly structures and were declared as National Monuments under the previous National Monuments Act (1969) based on their architectural merits. When the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) was promulgated in 1999, all previously declared National Monuments were automatically accorded status as Provincial Heritage Sites. However, the legislation makes it clear that the criteria used to determine the significance of these old National Monuments may not be relevant in terms of the current needs of South Africa. As such, in terms of the NHRA, these old National Monuments are required to go through a grading process to determine their significance based on criteria relevant to the needs of South Africa, today. 

Heritage Western Cape (HWC) – a public entity that falls under the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport - is in the process of grading these old National Monuments of which the Western Cape has approximately 2500. Until HWC grades these structures, they remain Provincial Heritage Sites of significance to the whole Province.

In addition, Mossel Bay has a number of heritage resources such as archaeological and palaeontological heritage as well as old structures that may not yet have been formally identified.  Municipalities are required to identify and grade heritage resources at the time of introducing or amending their Spatial Development Frameworks.  Sites identified must then be submitted to Heritage Western Cape for approval in the form of an inventory of heritage resources.  This has not yet been done for Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay is home to the very significant archaeological site of Pinnacle Point which is part of a proposed World Heritage Site nomination.

2. Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and it’s public entity, Heritage Western Cape (HWC), is responsible for the conservation and management of the heritage resources situated within the boundaries of the Western Cape. While HWC supports the promotion of our significant heritage resources, it is not within our mandate to market heritage.  Such tasks are left to local tourism authorities and initiatives.

3. HWC has no special events planned for the resources situated within Mossel Bay for the immediate future. This may change once the proposed World Heritage Site nomination has been submitted to UNESCO for decision making. This is scheduled to happen in 2016.

With regard to marketing and the showcasing of heritage resources, it is important to understand that most such sites are private property.  The purpose of protecting heritage is primarily to ensure conservation for future generations.  Private owners provide their consent to declaration as provincial heritage sites and in so doing are reassured that their privacy will be maintained.  Marketing and promotion of heritage sites is hence a matter of negotiation with owners and is not the primary task of a heritage resources authority.  Protection of heritage does, however, create potential for showcasing as part of tourism and local economic development.  In protecting such sites HWC hence creates opportunity for heritage to play a role in the economy although exploitation of that potential does not fall within its mandate.