Aberdeen safeguards heritage

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ABERDEEN NEWS - Sparked by vandals who trashed and looted its precious contents, the remaining antiquities inside the Aberdeen Heritage, Archive and Tourism Bureau (AHATB), have now been safeguarded by the community taking hands.

On Wednesday 19 July, shortly after 20:00, the Aberdeen police was notified about activity inside the building.

PHOTO GALLERY: Vandals trashed and looted the Aberdeen Heritage, Archive and Tourism Bureau (AHATB)

Upon arrival, it was obvious there were trespassers inside, but the gates were locked. The police managed to arrest Sherwin du Plessis (36), while two suspects fled on foot. Du Plessis appeared in court on Tuesday 25 July. He was denied bail because he was out on parole. He stays in custody and his case was postponed to 24 August.

Prolonged trespassing

The action by Sergeant Jemile Green and his team last Wednesday has uncovered months of systematic looting of the antiquities in the building.

During December 2022 burglars broke in through the double doors at the back of the building, and in spite of the damage being reported to the police, to the tenant, AHATB and to the landlord, Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality, no visible effort was made to secure the premises. Last week on Thursday morning, 20 July, the Advertiser noted that one street facing corner pillar had no physical security, although the rest of the premises was secured by palisade and barbed wire fencing. It looked like people gained access to the premises by scaling this specific pillar.

Mobilising community

Sterna Thwaites, chairperson of the Aberdeen Tourism Association (ATA), says the bureau has been closed to the public since the pandemic. "The gates remain locked and the broken doors are out of sight, so many people merely assumed that repairs were done after the break-in," she says, "The situation was brought to my attention on Tuesday 18 July. I was told that the doors have been ajar for months and that various items have been removed. Co-chairperson André Marais and I immediately met with Clive Kombani, acting area manager of the municipality. He referred us to the police." Thwaites also contacted the Graaff-Reinet Heritage Society's Aberdeen representative and resident architect, Archibald Norval, who obtained legal advice as to how the historical pieces dating back to the 1800s could be secured. ATA's management then requested a mandate from the community to retrieve, remove and safeguard the antiquities. "Due to the urgency of the matter, we used social media, and within hours we received an overwhelmingly positive response," Thwaites says.

Stakeholders unite

In a joint effort by the police, Kombani, ATA, GR Heritage and other volunteers, the premises were secured last Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday meetings were attended by various roleplayers, including the ratepayers association and the policing forum. Friday morning at 10:00, in the presence of Kombani and Ishmael Lawrence and Daniel Pieterse of AHATB, access was granted to community members to remove the antiquities. "There were some tense moments during the week with various roleplayers insisting nothing was to be removed from the building. But at the end of the day the community's wishes were adhered to," says Thwaites.

Job well done

By 15:30 on Friday everything was duly photographed, recorded and moved to a temporary safe place. Marais, Thwaites and Chantal Brummer, ATA secretary, had the arduous task of recording the items.

Volunteer Lizzie van der Merwe confirmed that the items were temporarily safeguarded at a site with electric fencing, security cameras and an alarm system.

Thwaites says the next step is to work with the Graaff-Reinet Heritage Society in order to determine the future of the items.

"Aberdeen does not have a single, operational site or building where the items can be housed. We now need guidance in securing a suitable permanent home." There are still two items left in the compromised building, but they are too delicate and big to be moved, says Thwaites. One is an on-scale replica of the town's historic cemetery and the other an antique hearse - the property of the local United Congregational Church.

Message from Alex Lombaard

As an Aberdeen resident and Advertiser correspondent, I was directly involved in Operation: Safeguard our Heritage since last week Tuesday. I was on site Wednesday evening, Thursday morning and the whole of Friday. Indeed, the exasperated reaction of Sergeant Green when he entered the building on Wednesday evening, touched me on a personal level. His words, "What has become of our town's people? What am I leaving my children with? No man, this must stop!" will stay with me for years to come. However, the response by so many people was remarkable to see. The cooperation and active support by the acting area manager and especially the chairperson of AHATB also confirmed that when it really matters, residents of Aberdeen stand together as one. Operation: Safeguard our Heritage will remain a beacon of hope against all odds.

From left are Acting Local Municipal Area Manager, Clive Kombani, AHATB Chair Ishmael Lawrence and ATA Chair, Sterna Thwaites discussing Operation: Safeguard our Heritage.