ARTS and culture MEC Xoliswa Tom has appealed to Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile to save the Albany museum in Grahamstown which is “in a state of decay”.
This follows the announcement in her policy speech in Bhisho last week that R3-million would be spent refurbishing infrastructure at several museums across the provinces.
In her speech she mentioned, among others, Albany, East London and Amathole museums as beneficiaries.
In an interview with the Daily Dispatch yesterday Tom said Albany museum was the worst off, saying it was in such a poor state her department had written a special request to Mashatile to intervene.
“We are experiencing a lack of funding to maintain our museums. But Albany is the worst off.
“Were it not for the intervention by Rhodes University from time to time, parts of the Albany building would have collapsed long ago,” said Tom.
“The museum is in a state of decay and it has to be made a special project,” she added.
“We want the minister to intervene and make this item a priority when he presents his 2013-14 budget speech,” said Tom.
At present all Eastern Cape museums have to share a limited budget of R3-million over the next three financial years, including for 2013-14 renovations.
These included museums such as East London, Amathole, Albany, Queenstown, Frontier, Burgersdorp, Barkly East, Somerset East, Great Fish River in Cradock, Fort Beaufort, Bay World, Middleburg, Mt Ayliff, Wild Coast, Matatiele and Our Heritage Museum in Adelaide.
“These are national assets built a long time ago. But unfortunately as a provincial department our hands are tied because we operate on a very tight budget.
“Renovations of museums are costly and we don’t have enough to keep up with their maintenance.”
Meanwhile construction of the Mt Ayliff Museum is scheduled to be completed in June, she told the House last week.
The museum is the second museum built in the former Transkei area after the Port St Johns museum. — zineg@dispatch.co.za
MEC asks for money to save museums
This follows the announcement in her policy speech in Bhisho last week that R3-million would be spent refurbishing infrastructure at several museums across the provinces.
In her speech she mentioned, among others, Albany, East London and Amathole museums as beneficiaries.
In an interview with the Daily Dispatch yesterday Tom said Albany museum was the worst off, saying it was in such a poor state her department had written a special request to Mashatile to intervene.
“We are experiencing a lack of funding to maintain our museums. But Albany is the worst off.
“Were it not for the intervention by Rhodes University from time to time, parts of the Albany building would have collapsed long ago,” said Tom.
“The museum is in a state of decay and it has to be made a special project,” she added.
“We want the minister to intervene and make this item a priority when he presents his 2013-14 budget speech,” said Tom.
At present all Eastern Cape museums have to share a limited budget of R3-million over the next three financial years, including for 2013-14 renovations.
These included museums such as East London, Amathole, Albany, Queenstown, Frontier, Burgersdorp, Barkly East, Somerset East, Great Fish River in Cradock, Fort Beaufort, Bay World, Middleburg, Mt Ayliff, Wild Coast, Matatiele and Our Heritage Museum in Adelaide.
“These are national assets built a long time ago. But unfortunately as a provincial department our hands are tied because we operate on a very tight budget.
“Renovations of museums are costly and we don’t have enough to keep up with their maintenance.”
Meanwhile construction of the Mt Ayliff Museum is scheduled to be completed in June, she told the House last week.
The museum is the second museum built in the former Transkei area after the Port St Johns museum. — zineg@dispatch.co.za
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