A provincial heritage resources authority (PHRA) ( phonetic pronunciation: prɑː) is a government agency established at provincial level in South Africa and is responsible for the management of immovable heritage (i.e., places enjoying protection in terms of heritage legislation). In some instances, they are also responsible for moveable heritage, interpretation centres and museums.

History

Prior to the coming into effect of South Africa's National Heritage Resources Act on 1 April 2000, heritage matters were managed by a single agency at national level, the National Monuments Council. This agency was best known for its protection of several thousand 'national monuments', responsibility for which the new legislation devolved to provincial level and renamed 'provincial heritage sites', the term used in most provinces to describe them.

Establishment

'Provincial heritage resources authority' or 'PHRA' is the term used by the National Heritage Resources Act to describe an authority responsible for management of what the Act describes as the 'national estate' in a province. The Act establishes three grades of heritage resource which broadly indicate significance at national, provincial and local level. The national heritage resources authority,

SAHRA ''Sahra'' is a studio album from Algerian raï artist Khaled, released in 1996. It was the artist's biggest production to date, being co-produced by Philippe Eidel, Don Was, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Clive Hunt, and including performances by man ...

is responsible for Grade I heritage resources whilst PHRAs are responsible for Grade II heritage resources and in most instances also those at Grade III level since few municipalities have been assessed as competent to manage the national estate and given delegations to do so. The three tier system of heritage management stems from provisions of South Africa's 1996 Constitution which determines that heritage conservation is a shared competency of the national and provincial spheres of government. Local government can hence only take on such responsibility if it does so voluntarily. Each of the nine provinces has established a PHRA, with most of them electing to do so under provisions of the National Heritage Resources Act. Only the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

and

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi ...

PHRA's are set up in terms of legislation at provincial level. KwaZulu-Natal has the oldest PHRA predating the passing of the National Heritage Resources Act. In the Northern Cape the PHRA was initially set up in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act, but in 2014 provincial legislation was passed. The government of the Eastern Cape Province initially set up a PHRA under provincial legislation, but in 2012 reestablished it in terms of the national Act. All PHRAs are public entities in terms of South Africa's Public Finance Management Act

List of provincial heritage resources authorities

Eastern Cape Province The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in 199 ...

: Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resources Authority *

Free State Province The Free State, known as Orange Free State until the 28th of June 1995 when its name was changed, is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer ...

: Heritage Free State *

Gauteng Province Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only 1 ...

: Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng *

KwaZulu-Natal Province KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali (Zulu for 'Heritage KwaZulu-Natal'), commonly known as 'Amafa', is a provincial heritage resources authority in terms of South Africa's National Heritage Resources Act. It was established in 1997 in terms of the KwaZulu- ...

Limpopo Province Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature ...

: Limpopo Heritage Resources Authority *

Mpumalanga Province Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. I ...

: Mpumalanga Provincial Heritage Resources Authority * North West Province: North West Provincial Heritage Resources Authority *

Northern Cape Province The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi ...

Northern Cape Heritage Resources Authority The Northern Cape Heritage Resources Authority, previously called Ngwao Boswa jwa Kapa Bokone (seTswana for 'Heritage Northern Cape'), and commonly known as 'Boswa', is a provincial heritage resources authority established in 2003 by the MEC ...

Western Cape Province The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

Heritage Western Cape Heritage Western Cape (HWC) is a provincial heritage resources authority established by the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport of the government of the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is a public entity set up under the terms of ...

Powers

Protections

PHRAs are able to exercise the bulk of the powers to protect heritage resources set out in Chapter II of the National Heritage Resources Act. These are divided into two types, 'Formal Protections' which require a specific action by a heritage resources authority to designate, usually by notice in a government gazette, and 'General Protections' which apply without the need for specific action and which usually apply by virtue of the age of the heritage resources concerned.

Types of heritage resource

PHRAs are generally responsible for the following types of heritage resources: * Buildings and structures of architectural, historical, technical and aesthetic value * Places to which oral traditions intangible values are attached * Historical settlements and towns * Landscapes and natural features * Geological sites * Archaeological sites * Palaeontological sites * Rock art sites * Battlefields * Graves and burial grounds * Sites associated with slavery The KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act provides for responsibility for moveable heritage resources. Section 43, KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act, Act No.4 of 2008, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Gazette 225 of 12 February 2009

Literature

* National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999, Government Notice 506, Republic of South Africa Government Gazette, Vol. 406, No 19974, Cape Town, 28 April 1999 * KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act (Act No. 10 of 1997) * KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act (Act No. 4 of 2008) * Eastern Cape Heritage Resources Act (Act No. 9 of 2003) * Eastern Cape General Laws Amendment Act (Act No. 2 of 2012) - Repealed Eastern Cape Heritage Resources Act * Northern Cape Heritage resources Authority Act (Act No.9 of 2013)

References

External links

National heritage resources authority:
South African Heritage Resources Agency
Provincial heritage resources authorities:
Western Cape – Heritage Western Cape

KwaZulu Natal – Amafa/Heritage KwaZulu Natal

Free State – Heritage Free State

Eastern Cape – Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resources Authority

* ttp://www.sac.limpopo.gov.za/ Limpopo – Limpopo Heritage Resources Authority
North West – North West Provincial Heritage Resources Authority

Northern Cape – Ngwao-Boswa Jwa Kapa Bokone

Gauteng – Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng
{{coord missing, South Africa South African heritage resources South African heritage sites Heritage registers in South Africa