No UCT red tape

I SUPPORT the students’ campaign to have the Rhodes statue removed. However, it is incorrect to claim that UCT is putting obstacles in the way in the form of red tape (Cape Times, April 8).

The introductory section of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 states that “those heritage resources of South Africa which are of cultural significance or other special value for the present community and for future generations must be considered part of the national estate and fall within the sphere of operations of heritage resources authorities”.

The next sub-section includes a number of items which it envisages forming part of the “national estate”.

These include places, buildings, structures and equipment of cultural significance; also included are places to which oral traditions are attached.

In addition the “national estate” includes graves and burial grounds including ancestral graves, royal graves and graves of traditional leaders.

All these and many other things fall under the purview of the act.

The act contemplates that the heritage authorities are the custodians of the “national estate” and, in this case, that Heritage Western Cape has the final say in the fate of the Rhodes statue.

Before determining this the act lays down a number of procedures which have to be followed, including a public consultation exercise which UCT has virtually completed.

Ultimately the final say regarding the fate of the Rhodes statue is with Heritage Western Cape, hence the bureaucratic hoops that have to be gone through before a final decision is made. Jan Glazewski (Prof)