On Wednesday the 12th of March Krugersdorp saw the inaugural meeting of the new Krugersdorp Heritage Association. It was held in the most suitable place in town, the Old Court Room at the Mogale City Museum. The building was designed and built by Sytze Wierda in 1890.
The meeting was well attended by over 35 people from all walks of life, all of them sharing a common interest in the history and preservation of our community.
The Krugersdorp Heritage Association (KHA) was founded earlier this year by Mr. Jaco Mattheyse and Mr. Steve Groeneveld. They met while the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation installed a blue plaque at the St Ursula's School in Krugersdorp North, where Mr Mattheyse works as teacher and as curator of the St Ursula's Museum.
They both share a mutual duty to our heritage and culture and feel an association like this is sorely needed on the Westrand. Very little of the buildings in the area are listed and protected and many of them are in a bad state of repair.
The aim of the KHA is multifaceted and includes the recognition of heritage sites in and around the wider Mogale City area. Sites that range widely from the childhood home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Munsieville, the house that was used as the British Army Headquarters during the Second South African War of 1899-1902 and even the Burgershoop Mosque whose land was granted by President Paul Kruger to the Muslim community and many more.
Community projects such as the clean-up and cataloging of the old cemetery is of great priority to them. The KHA would like to build up an archive of the town for the community to use. and askes all members of the Krugersdorp area to contact them if they have any stories of artifacts to contribute towards the archive.
The KHA would also like to host cultural activities and functions and re-establish some of the older events that used to be held around the town. These include markets in the Old Market Hall and the reintroduction of the Steam Train running from Krugersdorp to Magaliesburg.
Mr Mattheyse reiterated that all members of the community are welcome to join them. "We need everyone's input and help in this project".
Krugersdorp Town Hall (The Heritage Portal)
Mr Mattheyse is the history teacher at St Ursula's School for the past 12 years. He has a great passion for our local history. He is the curator of the St Ursula's Museum at the school. He is co-founder of the KHA with Mr. Steve Groeneveld, a retired South African Navy veteran from Roodepoort.
St Ursula's School Building
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