WHO WE ARE
The Heritage Foundation was founded in 2002 as a non-profit company and is a recognised player within the South African cultural heritage sector. The Heritage Foundation is the gathering point of the Afrikaner’s legacy for the next generation.
Through our archive, library and museum store, we can ensure that the core of Afrikaner culture and history is preserved for the next generation. Furthermore, the Heritage Foundation is also actively involved in the protection and preservation of various Afrikaner heritage sites across Southern Africa.
The educational role of the Heritage Foundation is fulfilled using exhibitions that are renewed regularly to highlight a variety of subjects. Researchers, academics and other interested parties can also visit the reference library and the archive.
The Heritage Foundation promotes intangible heritage by making available various heritage courses that convey the expertise to protect, care for and preserve heritage resources, as well as cultural-historical knowledge that is important for the interpretation and historical context of antiquities.
Several fixed, movable and non-tangible South African heritage resources are under threat despite legal protection. Endangered heritage resources include historic buildings and structures, monuments and heritage sites, cultural practices, works of art, archives, cemeteries and graves. Threats range from natural decay, accidental damage and vandalism, to lack of funding and capacity due to shifts in political ideology and state priorities.
For certain groups, such as minority groups and other marginalised groups, the heritage resources are tangible expressions of their identity. Where threats manifest, especially because of vandalism and political or bureaucratic aloofness, it is inevitable that some communities view the consequences as a direct attack on their culture and identity.
To prevent heritage from being destroyed, the Heritage Foundation acts as a guardian of Afrikaner heritage. By supporting the Heritage Foundation with funding, or using the services we offer, you help enable us to provide the necessary infrastructure, expertise and services to manage threatened movable and immovable heritage resources and public awareness of the importance and value of heritage.
