September 25, 2007
By Lucille Davie
THE City and the owners of Dr AB Xuma's house in Sophiatown have agreed on the sale price for the building, which is to be converted into a museum.
Eric Itzkin, the deputy director of immovable heritage in the department of arts, culture and heritage services, says an amicable agreement with the owners was reached on Wednesday, 19 September. They will vacate the house in January 2008.
The house as it would have been when Dr Xuma lived in it
In January this year the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) called in professional valuers, who assessed the worth of the house at R1,2-million, the price that the owners have accepted.
Alfred Bitini Xuma was the president-general of the African National Congress from 1939 to 1949, and a long-time resident of Sophiatown. His house was one of several buildings that escaped the bulldozers when the suburb was flattened in the 1950s and '60s. It was declared a national monument in 1998.
Sophiatown was a lively, cosmopolitan suburb, spawning jazz players, writers and singers until the apartheid government relocated its 65 000 residents from 1955, and renamed it Triomf. Father Trevor Huddleston lived in the suburb for 12 years. His ashes are buried in the grounds of the Christ the King Anglican Church in Ray Street.
A glimpse of the Sophiatown of old, now renamed
Valuers Hendrik Kamffer and Linky Mamoepa established that the property, consisting of two erven of 676m² and 463m², was evaluated in 2001 by the municipality as worth R360 000. They state that the valuations "do not necessarily represent the market value".
The property, at 73 Toby Street, consists of a single-storey dwelling with an entrance hall, lounge, TV room, kitchen, scullery and pantry, guest toilet, three bedrooms, a play room, two bathrooms (one en suite), and a stoep. Outbuildings consist of a double garage, two rooms with a kitchenette, laundry, toilet and basin, plus a Jacuzzi room. The property also has a swimming pool.
The valuers indicate that properties in the suburb sold for between R600 000 and R850 000 between July and September last year. "Taking all present information into account, I regard the most probable market value of the property, as at date of valuation, to be R1,2-million, VAT excluded," they say.
The City has agreed that the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre (THMC) will operate a museum at the house, to be called the Sophiatown Museum. The City's library services will place Xuma's historic book collection in the house as a permanent exhibit, along with any other relevant material from the City's museum collections.
Michael Angus, the executive manager of the THMC, says he is looking forward to establishing the museum, which will recreate the lively spirit of Sophiatown.
The arts, culture and heritage services department will train staff and offer support and guidance to the THMC. Research has already begun towards its opening exhibition.
In time, the museum will be part of the Sophiatown heritage precinct, an effort launched by the City in 2004 to revive the rich history of the suburb as well as boost the tourist experience of Johannesburg.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
