Cape Town - Several schools across the Western Cape, more specifically its pupils, were an insurmountable force against and fighting the repressive hold the apartheid regime had on the country and its people.
It was at these sites of Struggle, the schools and its pupils, that actively contributed to the breakdown of the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Now, students from nine of these schools, have been tirelessly at work conducting research and compiling dossiers with the aim to have their schools recognised for its significant political history and activities related to the anti-apartheid movement, both inside and outside the classroom.
Representing Belgravia High School, Livingstone High School, and Athlone High School, a number of pupils, supported by teachers and a principal handed over their nomination applications for nine schools to be recognised as National Heritage Sites to the SA Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra).
The nine listed schools are Fezeka Senior Secondary (Gugulethu); Mount View Secondary (Hanover Park); Alexander Sinton High (Athlone); Athlone High (Silvertown); Cathkin High (Heideveld); Livingstone High (Claremont); Belgravia High (Athlone); Rylands High (Rylands) and Modderdam High (Bonteheuwel).
The “Unheard Heritage” Project formally launched in early 2022 with 10 schools at the time, known for its anti-apartheid activities such as boycotts and protests before and during the 1980s.
The schools had prepared and initiated a nomination application with the provincial heritage agency, Heritage Western Cape, but have lost faith in the process due to “undue delays”, and have now launched an application with Sahra, with the hope of a speedier process unfold.
Sahra senior manager of Heritage Conservation Management, Ben Mwasinga, accepted the applications, at the organisation’s head office in Cape Town on Tuesday.
“We have received a nomination for nine schools within the Western Cape that were involved with anti-apartheid resistance during the time of the June 16 uprisings and they’ve also got a history of resistance against apartheid, also schools that were for coloured and black pupils during this period.”
A grading assessment will now be done to ascertain whether the schools meet the criteria to be regarded as National Heritage Sites, which would result in a Grade 1 status.
This would indicate “qualities so exceptional that they are of special national significance”.
“Following that Grade 1 status, we will then consult with a vast array of stakeholders, to ascertain whether or not there are any objections to these schools being declared National Heritage Sites for operational reasons, practical reasons,” Mwasinga said.
Should the schools not meet the criteria, and receive, for example, a Grade 2 status, the applications will be referred back to the provincial heritage agency.
“The difference between the national process and the provincial process is that the provincial process would go to Heritage Western Cape and they will be assessing for regional significance, meaning that these events that took place, have an effect within the Western Cape alone whereas we are looking for national significance, which means that the events that took place within the schools, the structures themselves, the impact that the schools have had, is that at a national level, meaning did it impact the whole of South Africa?”
Should the application receive Grade 1 status, a 60-day public engagement and participation process will follow.
“We will then take the site back to our Grading and Review Committee to establish whether or not there were any objections. It will then go from the Grading and Review committee to Sahra’s Heritage Resource Management Council Committee, from there it will then go to Sahra’s full council and should the Full Council support the nomination for National Heritage sites status, we will then issue a Government Gazette which will then declare the site.”
Spearheading the “Unheard Heritage Project” is Vidamemoria Heritage Consultants, director Quahnita Samie.
Samie said the process at a provincial level was meant to take approximately a year.
“We’ve complied with all the requirements at provincial level. We concluded the public participation and awareness campaigns and at the last meeting on August 2, 2024, we were asked to reformat the nomination dossiers so I think, there were unfortunate and unnecessary delays, it felt deliberate and it was really dampening the spirits of the pupils, teachers, and principals involved.”
She said much work was done in getting the pupils prepared and actively a part of compiling the nomination dossiers and conducting the necessary research.
“It is the only project of this nature where pupils are actually being trained in heritage practice. To create an awareness around heritage as a practice that could possibly come into this field. And at the last meeting, we had to take a decision whether or not we sit with more delays at provincial level or approach national and ask them if they would be open to taking on the national declaration, which they were very happy to do, especially in the context and the light of the recent UNESCO inscription related to liberation and struggle history and the history of these schools are intimately tied to the uprisings that happened nationally,” Samie said.
“So we’re very excited to be at the national level. Very excited to work with like-minded colleagues that are very eager to engage the pupils and the teachers and empower young people of colour in the heritage field.”
The pupils were acknowledged for their well-put together dossiers as well as dedication to the process through the attendance of the workshops and research gathering.
Shirage Davids, a visual and creative arts educator at Livingstone High School said pupils were interviewed and had also reached out to alumni of the various schools for interviews.
The schools also had to obtain public inputs and votes as well as collate these public accounts related to the schools and that were relevant to the application.
Principal of Athlone High School, Vincent Hendricks, said of the group of schools, “We are not entitled and we don’t come forcefully and just expecting, but our track record speaks for itself and we praise the Almighty.”
Opened on January 22, 1947, Hendricks said Athlone High is the oldest high school on the Cape Flats.
“So our record, without being arrogant, speaks for itself. We were in the forefront of the anti-apartheid struggle and schools were sites of struggles and children were in the forefront be it 1976, 1980, 1985, for that alone, from a social justice angle I feel that, at national level, they should seriously consider granting us the status.
“The reason why we are applying to national is because we feel disappointed. We’ve now reached the cul-de-sac at provincial level which is disappointing and l have reason to believe that national is more progressive and more enlightened and they will consider our application.”
Shireen Higgins-Ryklief, Acting Head of Department of Belgravia High School said: “I think it's just important for our communities and our schools and to educate our pupils, our teachers. We have young teachers coming in and for them to understand that the schools didn't just materialise yesterday.
“Many of our schools are over 60 years old. But we need to sustain that interest and for people to invest in their schools, be it in the memories, be it in the stories, the narratives that are there, the unheard heritage.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za