SAHRA BY JESSIE TAYLOR
Protecting South African heritage to promote cultural tourism
C
ultural tourism, which brings travellers to spend time at notable heritage sites, has significant potential to increase economic activity. But to tap into this lucrative market, destinations need to preserve heritage sites. Protecting these significant sites in South Africa falls to the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA). SAHRA is the national body that is mandated to identify and manage South Africa’s heritage resources and to protect them for future generations. This means it is the agency that is for the protection of South Africa’s cultural heritage. IDENTIFYING AND PROTECTING HERITAGE RESOURCES The body works to develop the skills and capacities of communities, to help them identify and protect heritage resources. Heritage resources include any place or object of cultural significance, either publicly or privately owned. However, this heritage is largely
unprotected and undiscovered, with many communities living in heritage areas unaware of the intrinsic value of those sites or how to manage and protect them. SAHRA works to encourage South Africans to conserve what they consider to be valuable heritage resources, as the country has a rich cultural heritage. The organisation works with local communities to identify heritage resources and record the oral and living histories of these resources. The organisation also works to educate the public and increase public involvement in the preservation of heritage resources. At the heart of SAHRA’s operations is a steadfast focus on the organisation’s mandate: the identification, conservation, promotion and preservation of our heritage. One of the ways SAHRA does this is through the grading and
24 | Public Sector Leaders | September 2022
declaration of National Heritage Sites. The grading and declaration of heritage sites provide a way to assess significant sites and establish conservation management plans for them. Among the sites that can be considered for grading are sites, objects, shipwrecks and graves. Both processes require a lengthy research process to establish the resource’s significance, management, and sustainability. During the grading process, SAHRA assesses the heritage significance of the resource and determines the relevant authority that will oversee the site. There are three grades, with Grade 1 assigned to sites with national significance that will be administered by SAHRA. If named a Grade 1 heritage resource, a declaration is issued. This is the formal recognition of the heritage resource’s significance and will lead to the establishment of a conservation management plan.