Researcher claims northern areas heritage report thrown out
RESEARCHERS who spent the past five years studying the heritage of Port Elizabeth’s northern areas and gathering information about how people want their struggle heroes to be commemorated are furious.
This, as the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality forges ahead with plans for a northern areas memorial site without following what they believe should be a proper consultation process with the residents.
The researchers, including some from NMMU, said they had handed their research over to the city but it was simply fobbed off.
Two weeks ago, sports, recreation, arts and culture executive director Noxolo Nqwazi presented draft plans for monuments for slain freedom fighters – the Pebco Three and Cosas Two – as well as the northern areas monument.
She said the monuments would have 60-seater conference facilities, play parks and exhibition areas.
The city has budgeted R8-million in the 2015-16 financial year towards the memorial sites and hopes to have the remaining R22-million set aside in the budget for the next financial year.
NMMU arts and culture department head Michael Barry said they, together with the Red Location Museum, South End Museum and Bethelsdorp Trust, had started the Northern Areas Heritage History Project about six years ago.
They had received about R4-million Lotto funding to research the heritage of the northern areas.
They interviewed hundreds of residents, made a documentary, held a conference and compiled a book, with information from residents who were either involved in the 1990s uprisings or deeply affected by the present challenges in the northern areas.
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