For South African Heritage Resources Agency to review
South African Heritage Resources Agency has not yet seen this page. It describes the organisation only through what it has said or done, and through what others named here have said about it. The Forum has not approached South African Heritage Resources Agency about anything. Until South African Heritage Resources Agency has approved the text, it may change. Questions for South African Heritage Resources Agency:
- Is this description of SAHRA and its decisions about Genadendal correct? What would you like to change?
- What did the change of status in 2000 mean for the museum collection and the Church Square monuments, and which body is now responsible for them?
- Should readers reach you through the moderators, or through a public contact?
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) is the national heritage authority, set up on 1 April 2000 under the National Heritage Resources Act in place of the National Monuments Council [TBV]. In 2000 it changed the status of the Genadendal Mission Museum collection and the Church Square monuments in Genadendal from national to provincial [MS].
What the letters in square brackets mean
Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.
- [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by an official record, such as a government notice or a court or council record, or by at least two sources that do not depend on each other.
- [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from the organisation’s own website or statements, from the statements of a group it works with, or from the Forum’s own records. It has not been checked against sources that do not depend on them.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it from a reliable source yet.
At a glance
| Kind | Government |
| Based in | Cape Town |
| Website | sahra.org.za |
| Role | National heritage resources authority [IC] |
| Link to the valley | Direct. Its decisions set the status of Genadendal’s monuments and collection |
| Contact with the Forum | Not approached |
What it does
SAHRA manages heritage resources of national significance, while each province’s authority manages those of provincial significance [TBV]. It keeps the national online inventory of heritage resources, SAHRIS [TBV]. Its head office is in Cape Town [TBV].
How its work reaches the valley
- Genadendal. The Genadendal Moravian Mission Complex was declared a national monument in 1980 [IC], and the museum collection a National Cultural Treasure on 8 March 1991 [IC]. In 2000 SAHRA changed the status of the collection and the Church Square monuments from national to provincial [MS].
- The museum. From 2011 to 2012 an assistant auditor from SAHRA worked on an inventory of the museum’s collections [MS].
Where it touches this site
- Genadendal Mission Museum, Moravian Church, Genadendal: A Long Walk, and History of the Valley, which record the change of status in 2000.
- Isaac Balie, who led the inventory project.
- National Heritage Resources Act.
What is still open
- What the change of status in 2000 meant in practice, and which body is responsible for the collection and the monuments today.
Have your say
If you know more about South African Heritage Resources Agency’s work in the valley, contact the moderators via How to Submit.
Related
References
- Wikipedia. South African Heritage Resources Agency. Its founding, grading system, head office, and SAHRIS.
- The Heritage Portal. Genadendal Moravian Mission Complex. Declared a national monument in 1980.
- Western Cape Government. Genadendal Mission Museum. The collection declared a National Cultural Treasure on 8 March 1991.
- Balie, I. (2023). Genadendal, The Valley of Grace: A Long Walk Through the History of the First Mission Station in South Africa. AuthorHouse. The change of status in 2000.