Heritage landmarks close down

A PAIR of boxing gloves worn by Nelson Mandela at the height of the anti-apartheid Struggle lies under a thick layer of dust in a darkened room, the silence broken only by the thud of moths nose-diving on to the glass display case.

The gloves were once one of the most popular exhibits at the Apartheid Museum in Joburg, one of dozens of heritage attractions and art galleries around the country forced to close due to the impact of Covid-19.

“We had to let go of all of the staff. About 30 people. There’s no one here to turn the lights on and off,” said Christopher Till, the museum’s director.

He used his cellphone as a torch to show some of the hundreds of artworks and artefacts illustrating the history of the long Struggle against white minority rule.

“We can’t afford to lose this place.” Before the pandemic, the museum was recording up to 1000 visitors a day, most of them foreign tourists.

Like other cultural institutions, it had to close in March last year when the first Covid-19 lockdown was imposed. The museum reopened in January, but having sold no tickets for 10 months and with low visitor numbers, it was too cash-strapped to operate, and closed again in March.

With tourists absent, and school visits – a major source of income – not happening because of the restrictions, other cultural institutions are suffering a similar fate.

They include the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, and Mandela’s house in the township of Soweto.

Since last year, the District Six Museum has carried a letter on their website which begins: “Help us keep our doors open by sending a Love Letter to the Museum.”

At the time, the museum’s Chrischene Julius said: “We are feeling the dire impact of the closure of the cultural and tourism industries and the subsequent restrictions that came with the lockdown.”

Through the love letter campaign, people were encouraged to make a monthly donation of R50, the value of an entrance fee, or a once-off donation of R110, the value of a guided visit.

It was reported that the campaign raised more than R1 million.

The Fugard Theatre, which was housed in a District Six Museum-owned building, has, however, closed.

South Africa’s R200 billion loan-guarantee scheme, aimed to encourage banks to lend more and on favourable terms to businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis, has not helped as much as was hoped.

Many distressed companies are reluctant to assume more liabilities.

In normal times, tourism accounts for more than 8% of gross domestic product and for about1.5 million jobs.