Question NW2010 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
15 June 2022 - NW2010
Moteka, Mr PG to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether his department has any plans to honour King Sekhukhune and have a place and/or a monument in his honour; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is the lead Department in the implementation of the Cabinet approved Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route (RLHR) Project. Each province submitted three (3) sites for development under the RLHR. One of Limpopo’s three (3) RLHR sites submitted in this regard is the Tjate Heritage Site. The significance of the Tjate Heritage Site is the battlefield site representing the victory and unity of the Bapedi people under the leadership of the King Sekhukhune, against the imperialistic and colonial forces of both the Boers and the British in the nineteenth century.
As part of the RLHR, the Tjate Heritage Site is one of the many sites currently being subjected to a Feasibility Studies to investigate how to commemorate the legacy of the site in a befitting manner. It is to be noted that already the Provincial Government has installed a statue of King Sekhukhune at Tjate as well of other four (4) kings in other areas in Limpopo province.
The Feasibility Study for the Tjate Heritage Site, which is scheduled for conclusion in 2022/ 2023 will recommend befitting projects in honor of King Sekhukhune. Furthermore, the Department is engaging with its entity, South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) to conduct an audit of all the Great Palaces and commence on the process of grading and declaring these Places as National Heritage Sites, which will include King Sekhukhune’s Great Place.