Arts and Culture to give update on Madikizela-Mandela's Brandfort house

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Government is expected to provide an update on the renovations to the house of late struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.  

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa will visit the house in Brandfort, Free State, as part of government’s commitment to restore the historically significant House Number 802.

Madikizela-Mandela was banished to the house, which has been declared a national heritage site, in 1977 by the apartheid government.

The renovation project plan includes the restoration of the dwelling house and bombed clinic, and converting them to interpretive spaces; and the construction of a multipurpose centre with Wi-Fi facilities as well as parking space.

Border patrol

Meanwhile, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster Ministers will be at Manguzi border post in Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal today.

The visit is a follow-up to a prior visit, which took place in 2017, where community members complained about cross-border crime, particularly stock and vehicle theft.

The area lies between the border of Mozambique and South Africa.

Government, through the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Cross-border Crime, has been hard at work trying to curb these crimes and address the concerns of the community.

During the visit, JCPS Ministers will inspect the border post for its readiness to house the one-stop border between South Africa and Mozambique and the construction of the police station. They will visit Gate 6, which is a site for a community crossing point. 

This visit reiterates the JCPS Cluster’s commitment to serve and protect communities in the borderline areas and urge community members to work together with all law enforcement agencies in ensuring that South Africa is crime-free and safe for all who live in it. – SAnews.gov.za