The closing of the Old Gaol Backpackers has seen one of Grahamstown’s oldest heritage sites revert to the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) but the agency’s provincial arm is under fire for non-performance.
The closing of the Old Gaol Backpackers has seen one of Grahamstown’s oldest heritage sites revert to the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) but the agency’s provincial arm is under fire for non-performance.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Heritage Trust claimed that the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and Graaf-Reinet municipalities are outraged regarding "the total collapse of the provincial structures" [The Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resources Agency (ECPHRA)] in considering applications for alterations and additions required for buildings 60 years and older.
In a media release, the Trust further said that the problem is a national one and not limited to the Eastern Cape. This issue brings the process of how the Old Gaol Backpackers was closed down into the spotlight. The SAHRA evicted the owner of the backpackers, Brian Peltason, from the premises.
The issue caused an outcry among some members of the community. Tourism advisor Brian Jackson said that closing the Old Gaol was not a smart move on the SAHRA’s part.
"SAHRA haven’t set a good example in terms of committing to the future use of the building," said Jackson.
Advocate Jock McConnachie, who was the regional representative of the old National Monuments Council, agrees.
"Grahamstown will be the poorer without the Old Gaol Backpackers and the big question which now arises is what SAHRA’s future plans are for the building."
Future plans
SAHRA has said that they plan to create an educational centre in the historic building, which has yet to be graded as a heritage site. But Peltason feels that this is unlikely due to the problems within the organisation and the distance between the national and provincial bodies.
"The regulators can’t do their jobs properly because of political infighting," says Peltason.
In response to the press release Chairperson of the ECPHRA, Cameron Dokoda, says that historical buildings and heritage sites are looked after and managed by SAHRA and there is no dispersal of power from SAHRA to the different provincial bodies.
