Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport
(a) How many museums have been (i) robbed and (ii) vandalised in the past five years in the province and (b) what is the total cost (i) to repair the vandalism and (ii) of the stolen artefacts?
par (a) (iii) The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport assists 32 affiliated museums across the province in terms of the Western Cape Museums Ordinance Amendment Act No 2 of 21. Over the past five years (2019-2023) the following 11 museums have reported instances of theft or vandalism:
- Bartolomeu Dias Museum (Provincial Museum)
- Caledon Museum (Province-aided Museum)
- CP Nel Museum (Province-aided Museum)
- Drostdy Museum (Province-aided Museum)
- Fransie Pienaar Museum (Local Museum)
- Genadendal Museum (Province-aided Museum)
- George Museum (Provincial Museum
- Hout Bay Museum (Province-aided Museum)
- Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum
- Old Harbour Museum (Province-aided Museum)
- Worcester Museum (Provincial Museum)
The above reports range from minor vandalism to more serious break-ins and theft. Where theft has occurred it is mostly items made from metals such as brass, copper, iron, silver and aluminum that has been stolen or office equipment. Presumable due to the market resell value.
(b) (iii) It is difficult to accurately quantify the Rand value of damage caused, but the reports from the museums indicate a total of R 504,163.00 in damages and remedial interventions.
The Department provides provincial museums with armed response, CCTV and alarm systems to mitigate matters of this nature. For province-aided and local museums, the department provides an annual subsidy which is used by their respective governing bodies to ensure the safety of museums and their collections.
