Durban Documentation Centre closed

Kwazulu-Natal’s MEC for Art, Culture and Tourism, Weziwe Thusi, will hold a public hearing on 15 April to decide on the future of historic Indian artefacts that were held by the Durban Documentation Centre. The centre, which housed material relating to the history of Indians in South Africa, was closed down in January. The centre was home to musical instruments, clothing, documents, books and photographs, some dating back to the 1800s. The hearing will take place at the Protea Edward Hotel in Durban. Interested parties have been asked to file submissions by 14 April. A crisis committee, headed by Juggie Pather, has been trying to get the material transferred to a venue in Chatsworth, so far unsuccessfully.

Rare Africana books on auction

Rare Africana books will go on auction in London at Bonhams on 01-02 April. The auction includes early grammar books in Nama, Sotho, Xhosa and Zulu. The collection belonged to an English couple, John and Monica Lawson. Many of the books were written by early missionaries and published in Britain. A very rare copy of Dr. Wilhelm Bleek's "Uber den Ursprung der Sprache", published in Cape Town in 1867, forms part of the auction. Dr. Bleek is famous for the San work he undertook with his sister-in-law, Lucy Lloyd. A Nama textbook written by Hans Christian Knudsen and published in Cape Town in 1845, is also on auction.

Mandela Family Museum renovations

Former President Nelson Mandela's house in Orlando West, Soweto, will undergo renovations to restore it to its original state, according to the Soweto Heritage Trust. The house, now called the Mandela Family Museum, at 8115 Ngakane Street, will be closed until November while work is in progress. Mandela moved into the four-roomed house in 1946 with his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase. After their divorce in 1957, she moved out. When Mandela married Winnie Madikizela in 1958, she moved in and while he was imprisoned on Robben Island, she lived there with their daughters, Zeni and Zindzi. When the couple divorced in 1996, Mandela registered the house in his name and handed it to the Soweto Heritage Trust. As part of the renovations, a visitor's centre will be built on the property, which will also depict Soweto's history. A curio shop will also be opened.

Langenhoven Arts and Culture Centre

Prof. Guillaume Brümmer, Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven's only grandson, attended the recent opening of the Langenhoven Arts and Culture Centre at Arbeidsgenot in Oudtshoorn. Arbeidsgenot was Langenhoven's last residence. The Langenhoven Memorial Trust was established in 1951 after Vroutjie (Langenhoven's wife, Magdalena Maria) left Arbeidsgenot to the country as an arts and culture centre. Langenhoven was the author of Die Stem van Suid-Afrika. Future plans include a statue of Langenhoven and Enoch Sontonga (authour of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika) being erected at the centre. The two were born in the same year, 1873. Their compositions make up South Africa's national anthem.

Libraries in a state

Last year, Gauteng province only used 5,3% of its budget for public library service improvements. The Eastern Cape province used R29 000 of its R22 million budget and the Western Cape province only 23,7%. These figures were shown in the presentation to Parliament's standing committee on finances. The nine provinces received R180 million, spread over three years, last year to improve library services. The provinces have already received half of their funds and had to spend it on infrastructure and buying new books.

Last month, Brakpan's library closed down due to the neglected state of its 70-year-old building. Following heavy rain, parts of the building were flooded and the electrical wiring damaged. The library's ceiling ad caved in in 2006, and was temporarily repaired. There are plans for a new building but so far no construction has started.

Recently, library services were cut drastically in many provinces. On the East Rand some libraries now close at 16:30 on weekdays and do not open on weekends at all. This has made it very difficult for school children who do not have other access to libraries. The Alberton library implemented these hours back in October 2006.

Khoisan skeleton?

The skeletal remains, possibly of a Khoisan man who died 500 years ago, were recently found by builders in Elands Bay, about 220 kilometres from Cape Town. A skull and forearm was found buried about 1.2 metres deep. The bones were found in an upright, seated position. Archaeology students at the University of Cape Town are investigating. The last major bone discovery in the Cape Town area was in May 2003, when hundreds of human skeletons were uncovered on a construction site in Prestwich Street, Green Point. After investigations, a cemetery was found under the foundations of old buildings, which were being demolished to make way for a new building. Later the building of a R5.6 million heritage centre to house the centuries-old human remains found in Prestwich Street led to the discovery of more remains by construction workers and an archaeologist was called in.

Thin blue line

The NGK Horison-Noord in Roodepoort unveiled a private memorial wall last week, dedicated to the memory of police members who have paid the highest price in the line of duty. The wall is in the church's Garden of Remembrance.