Case Decision - 379318

After careful consideration of the coaches that have been identified as having heritage value. Section 3 (3) of the National Heritage Resources Act ((Act No. 25 of 1999) - the NHRA) stipulates that, “a place or object is to be considered part of the national estate if it has cultural significance or other special value because of – 
(a)    its importance in the community or pattern of South Africa’s history;
(b)    its possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of South Africa’s natural or cultural change;
(c)    its potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of South Africa’s natural or cultural heritage;
(d)    its importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of South Africa’s natural or cultural places and objects;
(e)    its importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by community or cultural group;
(f)    its importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievements at a particular period;"

The selection of coaches that Transnet intents to dispose of, fulfil one or more of the criteria set out in section 3 (3) of the NHRA. 

The SAHRA is concerned over the blanket approach to the scrapping of the coaches recommends the following steps are undertaken: 
a    Transnet provides SAHRA with documentation that demonstrate the various options of disposal that been considered for each coach.
b.    A detailed inventory is established and made known to railway heritage organizations and other interested parties.  
c.    Allow on-site inspections to be carried and allow for adequate time for consideration by interested parties.
d.    Conservation to take preference, and where possible donations are made to railway heritage organizations interested in the conservation of the objects. 
e.    Outcomes of the above procedure is communicated to SAHRA for final comment.
 

The SAHRA acknowledges the plight of vandalism and theft however there is concern on the efforts of safe-guarding of objects of heritage significance by Transnet. SAHRA is of the view that more effort should be invested to safeguard the railway heritage under the custody of Transnet. The entity holds the largest inventory of railway heritage of South Africa therefore it is deeply concerned when disposal is considered citing poor conditions.