Cape Town - The board of the Drostdy Museum in Swellendam could face criminal charges over illegal building work which includes cementing priceless mud floors, using screw-in bolts to fix a Bedouin tent to a 270-year-old wall, and building a pizza oven under a thatched roof in the historic “Old Gaol” area.
But what has incensed people most is the name of one of the restaurants at the museum, which was built in 1747.
It is called The Whipping Post after the actual whipping post where slave prisoners were once flogged.
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs has called for a full investigation, and said he would be asking national Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa to intervene.
Jacobs said he was appalled that, in this day and age, there could be a place called The Whipping Post, and wanted the name removed immediately.
“If you understand our history then it is a smack in the face for the people of Swellendam.
“Our people were whipped so it is celebrating those indignities.”
He said it went against reconciliation.
Jacobs said he understood a number of projects at the museum had been implemented without planning permission.
Errol Myburg, interim chief executive of Heritage Western Cape, said the museum’s board had been told to stop unauthorised work.
A meeting of the heritage body’s Built Environment and Landscapes Committee held two weeks ago had agreed that a compulsory repair order should also be issued to compel the museum’s board to repair the damage to the property.
“Any work to this provincial heritage site requires a permit in terms of section 27,” Myburg said.
He added that he was looking at laying charges in response to the illegal work.
A group called Concerned Swellendam Citizens wrote to Heritage Western Cape expressing their concerns at the “unauthorised” and “inappropriate” work on the museum, although they acknowledged and supported the museum’s need to raise funds.
They wrote that the current activities at the old jail complex were not in keeping with its cultural significance.
“The name Whipping Post is not in the spirit of reconciliation and is disrespectful to the broader community of Swellendam.
“We request that the complex will be restored in keeping with the primary theme of the museum and the cultural diversity of the VOC (Dutch United East India Company - Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie) period.”
The Drostdy Museum is a collection of historical buildings. The Drostdy served as the official seat of the magistrate of Swellendam at the time.
The museum’s curator, Johan Kriek, said he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Carol Podd of the Swellendam Heritage Association also declined to comment, saying the body’s members were divided over the museum’s actions.
Suzette Morris of Coffee Culture, a boutique coffee lounge, also at the Drostdy Museum, said the name was historic, and not meant to be harmful in any way.
Cape Argus