A National Heritage Trust for South Africa ?
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These Swedish iron cannons c.1752 are part of a battery of eight guns at an old fort in the Peninsula built by the
French, for the Dutch, by Indian soldiers of the Pondicherry Regiment commanded by an Irishman.   The battery was
ultimately taken by the British in 1795 who in the following year used slaves to extend the site to create accommodation
for soldiers garrisoned there and to construct a fortified block house. There is much more to the story but it is sufficient
to say that the cannons have been cleared of centuries of debris, proof fired and tested, and have been licensed by a
community based heritage organisation.

When the eight guns have been placed on new replica carriages, they will constitute :

The oldest battery of original working guns in the World.

See what a local volunteer Heritage group can do!

Much of our country’s heritage remains unknown to most South Africans. It is hidden away in communities and even there it is often known to just a few. The cannons you see above are in Hout Bay, but their local Heritage Trust is just one of several community based heritage organisations in the Cape Peninsula and there are many more throughout the country. They are totally independent of each other but are united with a common aim, that being the preservation and conservation of South Africa’s rich Natural and Cultural Heritage.

The fascinating story of our history is part of world heritage and the fact that many different countries and peoples shared in forming our heritage make it all the more interesting for our tourists and overseas visitors, as well as for South Africans.  We have National Parks and Museums, but they can only cover a small part of our heritage. Whilst one can move heritage objects into museums one cannot move heritage sites; they either remain where they are, and are respected for what they are, or they are lost as a result of ignorance, poor planning, or economic imperatives.

Case Study 1
The proclamation of a municipal or even a National Park cannot guarantee the safety of our heritage sites. The carriage of this 18 pounder cannon at Hout Bay's East Fort shown (right) and several others, were destroyed during the fire of 2000 which swept through the Table Mountain National Park. That same fire caused the closure of Chapmans Peak Drive for three years. However, the road was restored at a cost of R160M but the historic c.1781 fort was not.
If the site was privately owned, in terms of the National Heritage Act of 1999, the responsible Heritage Authority would be in order if it served a restitution order against the owner, but because it is owned by the state, nothing happens.

The same gun (left ) was restored by the dedicated members of the Hout Bay Heritage Trust. They would like to do more at the site but without a heritage umbrella to assist such organisations the task is fraught with red tape and massive difficulties.

It would be relatively easy to run up a R50,000 bill (or even twice that amount) just for the initial paperwork for such a project, and not even the most sympathetic donor wants to sponsor paperwork.

The Trust has taken delivery of well researched and expertly constructed carriages. They are probably the best repro examples in the country and cost a lot of money which they believe has been wisely spent. Hout Bay will continue to work towards their goal. Eventually they will be able to fire multiple gun salutes and intend to do so for the visiting Tall Ship "GOTHEBORG" which will come to Hout Bay in Feb 2006

For more than seven years the Hout Bay Heritage Trust has worked on their East Fort Project but the results could probably have been achieved in less than one year if a framework to help such organisations was in place. The needs are not financial, Heritage Societies are frequently able to address the problems of funding for their projects, and can often find most resources and expertise within their community. However, they invariably need additional technical expertise and skills to be able to complete their sustainable conservation and underlying business plans to ensure the on-going maintenance and security of their  community's heritage sites. They also neeed the proactive rather than passive co-operation of government departments.

(Case Study 1 Concluded)

14th July 2004. The Hout Bay Heritage Trust hosted an investiture on behalf of the French President whose
representative presented two Legion d’Honeur decorations to two high ranking French Naval officers at East
Fort. Capitaine Boy of the French Vessel “La MARNE” is seen firing one of the fort’s restored guns in salute to
La République Français.

The major problems are mostly bureaucratic such as acquiring permission from local authorities and government agencies which usually have substantial capacity or funding constraints as well as other more pressing priorities. The heritage agencies invariably have to fight 'rear guard' actions against developers and errant local authorities to save heritage sites from total destruction. They normally do not have time to step back to create pro-active sustainable conservation and business plans or 'champion' heritage projects on other than a  very modest scale.

The result is that rich developers with all their legal and financial clout will invariably win against small volunteer organisations who have the heritage of their community at heart but little else.

What is the answer ?