Since 1994, South Africa has embraced an inclusive and democratic definition of heritage, yet the protection of the built environment remains uneven. While legislation provides a progressive framework, its implementation is fragile: enforcement is weak, penalties are negligible, and development pressures frequently prevail over preservation.
BOOK REVIEWS
Michael Stevenson’s Samuel Daniell: A Life of an Artist in Southern Africa and Ceylon, 1799–1811 stands as a work of rare distinction: sumptuous in production, meticulous in scholarship, and deeply rewarding in intellectual substance.
BLUE PLAQUES
In 1890 Eduard Lippert bought part of the farm Braamfontein and renovated the farmhouse for himself and his wife, Marie, naming it Marienhof after her death in 1893. Advised by the forester Genth, Lippert developed a plantation called the Sachsenwald to supply timber to the mines. The Pro-Boer Lippert obtained the Dynamite Concession, a monopoly which was often cited by the Uitlanders as a cause of the war.