Provincial heritage resources authority

A provincial heritage resources authority (PHRA)

(phonetic pronunciation: pr) 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.

PHRA predating the passing of the National Heritage Resources Act.[5] 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.[6] 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 Africas
Public Finance Management Act[7]

History

2.1 List of provincial heritage resources

authorities

Prior to the coming into eect of South Africas National Heritage Resources Act on[1] 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.

Eastern Cape Province: Eastern Cape Provincial

Heritage Resources Authority
Free State Province: Heritage Free State
Gauteng Province: Provincial Heritage Resources
Authority Gauteng
KwaZulu-Natal Province: Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali

Limpopo Province: Limpopo Heritage Resources

Authority

Establishment

Mpumalanga Province: Mpumalanga Provincial

Heritage Resources Authority

'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.[2]
The Act establishes three grades of heritage resource
which broadly indicate signicance at national, provincial
and local level. The national heritage resources authority, SAHRA 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.[3]

North West Province: North West Provincial Heritage Resources Authority

Northern Cape Province: Northern Cape Heritage
Resources Authority
Western Cape Province: Heritage Western Cape

3 Powers

The three tier system of heritage management stems

from provisions of South Africas 1996 Constitution
which determines that heritage conservation is a shared
competency of the national and provincial spheres of
government.[4] Local government can hence only take on
such responsibility if it does so voluntarily.

3.1 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 specic
action by a heritage resources authority to designate, usually by notice in a government gazette, and 'General Protections which apply without the need for specic action
and which usually apply by virtue of the age of the heritage resources concerned.[8]

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
and Northern Cape PHRAs are set up in terms of legislation at provincial level. KwaZulu-Natal has the oldest
1

3.2

Types of heritage resource

PHRAs are generally responsible for the following types

of heritage resources: [9]
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
Battleelds
Graves and burial grounds
Sites associated with slavery
The KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act provides for responsibility for moveable heritage resources. [10]

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
The KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act, 1997 (Act No. 10
of 1997)

EXTERNAL LINKS

6 References
[1] 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
[2] Sections 3 and 23, 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
[3] Section 7, 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
[4] Schedule 4, Part A, Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa, Act. 108 of 1996
[5] The KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act, 1997 (Act No. 10 of
1997)
[6] Northern Cape Heritage Resources Authority Act, Act
No 9 of 2013, Province of the Northern Cape Provincial
Gazette Extraordinary, No 1784, 5 March 2014
[7] Section 1, Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of
1999, (as amended)
[8] See Chapter II, Parts 1 and 2, 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
[9] Section3(2), 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
[10] Section 43, KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act, Act No.4
of 2008, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Gazette 225 of 12
February 2009

7 External links
5

See also
National heritage resources authority:
Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali
Heritage Western Cape
Ngwao Boswa Kapa Bokone
National Monuments Council (South Africa and
Namibia)
South African Heritage Resources Agency

South African Heritage Resources Agency

Provincial heritage resources authorities:
Western Cape Heritage Western Cape
KwaZulu Natal Amafa/Heritage KwaZulu Natal

Provincial heritage site (South Africa)

Free State Heritage Free State

National heritage site (South Africa)

Eastern Cape Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage

Resources Authority

Heritage objects (South Africa)

List of heritage sites in South Africa

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga Provincial Heritage

Resources Authority

3
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

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Provincial heritage resources authority Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincial_heritage_resources_authority?oldid=

731467618 Contributors: Ohconfucius, The Anomebot2, Mild Bill Hiccup, Waitabout and Chocoholic10

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