August 12, 2004
By Lebofsa Masha
DECLARED an official heritage site, the R7-million Nelson Mandela yard interpretation centre in Alexandra - which will include a tourist information office, restaurant and retail outlets - is nearing completion of the first phase of development.
Foundations have been laid for the building, on the corner of Seventh and Hofmeyr street, which is directly opposite the small room Mandela lived in when he first moved from the eastern Cape to Johannesburg in the 1940s. Some of the yards surrounding Mandela's room will form part of the precinct.
An artist's impression of Hofmeyr Street in Alex
The interpretation centre will house an interactive exhibition telling the story of the people, ideas and events that shaped Alexandra over the last 100 years, as well as a community archive and resource centre documenting the diverse aspects of Alexandra 's history and heritage.
Funded by the Gauteng Tourism Authority, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Alexandra Renewal Project, the project will contribute to providing short-term employment in the construction phase, said Jo-Anne Duggan of the South African Heritage Agency, which will manage the centre.
Long-term benefits, added Duggan, will involve meeting and training rooms that will be used to conduct heritage and tourism-related programmes and will be available to community organisations.
"The interpretation centre will also include visitor facilities such as the tourism information office, a restaurant and retail outlets where visitors can purchase locally produced craft items and other mementoes of the visit to Alexandra," she adds.
Project co-ordinator Zodwa Tlale said the development will open many business opportunities for the residents of Alexandra. "With tourists coming to Alexandra, small businesses will be able to sell their goods."
Small contractors are already benefiting through the construction of the centre, Tlale added.
To help develop Alexandra as a tourist attraction, 25 sites around the township, which will be marked by information boards, have been listed for inclusion into a Heritage Tour Route. Maps of the route will also be available.
The sites include:
- Mandela's yard;
- several schools and houses, including the family home of first lady, Zanele Mbeki;
- Freedom Square;
- Kings Cinema;
- churches, including St Hubert's Catholic Church and the Twelve Apostles Church of Africa;
- the Jukskei River;
- the Alexandra Clinic; and
- the Alexandra Beer Hall.
The first phase of the project is expected to be complete within the next six months.
For further information, contact Jo-Anne Duggan on 083 285 3600 or Zodwa Tlale on 011 882 0673
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