A submission has been made to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the Union Buildings to be nominated as a World Heritage Site.

A meeting was held on Thursday 23 March 2023 at the Pretoria Art Museum to inform stakeholders of the progress so far and ARRA was represented at this meeting by Charl Yazbek and Helen Rakotomalala.

Background to this submission was provided by Mr. Thabo Khomomu, who is also a member of the UNESCO advisory body for culture, known as ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and has visited international sites to evaluate their suitability as World Heritage Sites.

A list of  ten sites, comprising the serial nomination of the Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites was submitted to UNESCO  for consideration as  Cultural Sites importance for Humanity. Included in one of the ten will be  the Union Buildings, already protected as a National Heritage Site, marking the transition to democracy.

UNESCO has acknowledged receipt of the submission and an expert from ICOMOS will be visiting the Union Buildings in the next few weeks.

The status is expected to positively influence the use of the area as a Tourist destination, history learning space, and economic driver for business, (including the hawkers selling unique handcrafted goods) dependent on Tourism.

Questions were raised at the meeting concerning the state of the ‘buffer zone’ around the Union Buildings and Mr. Adrian de Villiers (Chief Architect, Heritage Advisory Services, DPW) informed the meeting that the damaged/inexistent railings around the perimeter, particularly on the windy section of Government Avenue leading down to Madiba Street, would be replaced. Enhanced security for the informal traders and the public will be put in place. The free Wi-Fi will only be available for shorter periods and will only be available during the daytime to ensure criminals are not able to make use thereof for nefarious purposes.

The representative from the Department of Health put forward a suggestion that the sale of curios might be extended to include food. This poses a problem of hygiene and sanitation and would not fall within the current requirement of Handcrafted Art Works. No decision was made on this point.

The meeting ended on a positive note, with the conveners and participants looking forward to this new phase for the Union Buildings, which will enhance tourism and greatly assist businesses that depend on tourism.

Before the meeting, the participants were invited to visit the small museum (not usually open to the public) on the Union Buildings, with photos of the early building work, etc. and some history of the successive governments. While visiting the museum, the two representatives of the informal traders in conversation with Helen Rakotomalala spoke of the difficulty in making a decent living now that the roads, gardens and park are closed at weekends. However, they did not raise this point during the meeting. Access to the Amphitheatre Area might need to be made available to the public during certain hours of the week to qualify for the Heritage Site.